Pakistan sets up a unique player of the game record in T20I cricket

Pakistan was one of the top performing teams in T20Is last year and has recorded the most wins in the current calendar year. The stability of the team under the captain of Babar Azam is praiseworthy as Pakistan have won 17 games in the calendar year and recorded 8 wins in the last 9 games, including a 3-0 away win against Bangladesh.

Pakistan's recent success in the shortest format stems from the contributions of the entire team rather than individual brilliance. Almost every member of the squad contributed to Pakistan's victories, which underscores the importance of teamwork to the success of a team.

In Pakistan's last nine victories in T20Is, nine different players have received the player award. Surprisingly, Pakistan's captain Babar Azam and vice-captain Shadab Khan are the only two players from the regular starting XI who did not win the award.

Haider Ali, Fakhar Zaman and Hasan Ali won the Player of the Match Award in the three games in the T20I series against Bangladesh. Seasoned mid-tier batsman Shoaib Malik and gritty wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan have been the players of the game in Pakistan's last two games in the Super 12 stage of the 2021 T20 World Cup.

Shaheen Afridi's great three-wicket spell in the high-octane encounter against India earned him the Player of the Match Award in Pakistan's opening bout of the mega-event. Haris Rauf's exploits against New Zealand in the ensuing encounter resulted in his being named Player of the Game. Asif Ali's heroics, four sixes in the penultimate game against Afghanistan, earned him the player of the game in this encounter.

Before the start of the T20 World Cup, Mohammad Hafeez was named Player of the Game in the Pakistani game against the West Indies.

Here are Pakistan's players of the game in their last 9 victories:

Pakistan vs West Indies 2nd T20I                      Mohammad Hafeez        1/6 in 4 overs

Pakistan vs India T20 World Cup                      Shaheen Afridi                 3/31 in 4 overs

Pakistan vs New Zealand T20 World Cup      Haris Rauf                         4/22 in 4 overs

Pakistan vs Afghanistan T20 World Cup        Asif Ali                              25 runs off 7 balls

Pakistan vs Namibia T20 World Cup              Mohammad Rizwan       79* off 50 balls

Pakistan vs Scotland T20 World Cup             Shoaib Malik                      54* off 18 balls

Pakistan vs Bangladesh 1st T20I                      Hasan Ali                          3/22 in 4 overs

Pakistan vs Bangladesh 2nd T20I                    Fakhar Zaman                 57 off 51 balls

Pakistan vs Bangladesh 3rd T20I                     Haider Ali                         45 off 38 balls