Allrounder Hafeez on top of his game

The world's top-ranked ODI allrounder, the second-best bowler in the format, as well as the second-best allrounder in T20 internationals, according to the ICC rankings; plus, one half of the most successful ODI opening combination in the last year. Mohammad Hafeez is only three months short of completing one decade in international cricket (though he hasn't always been a part of the Pakistan team during this period), but the last couple of years have been quite remarkable, a period in which he has truly blossomed into a consistent performer with both bat and ball.

Even when Hafeez first came into the ODI team, as part of a new side in the aftermath of Pakistan's poor 2003 World Cup campaign, it was clear that he possessed the skills to contribute with both bat and ball, at least in the ODI format. He scored his first half-century in only his second ODI innings, and took five wickets at 17 and an economy rate of 3.54 in his first ODI series, a fairly forgettable tournament called the Cherry Blossom Cup in Sharjah that featured Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Kenya.

The start was extremely promising, but then came the slump. Over the next four years Hafeez's ODI batting was characterised either by early dismissals or by an inability to convert starts. After 48 ODIs his batting average had nosedived to 18.59, which was even worse than it looked as in most of those matches he had opened the batting. His bowling was adequate but not enough to save his place. When his Test batting also collapsed in 2007, it was time to leave him out of the Pakistan side in all formats.

After spending three years on the outer, Hafeez returned to international cricket late in 2010 as a far more consistent batsman (though still with the tendency to get out after getting his eye in), while his bowling stayed reliable and steady. The improvement in stats is obvious in the table below.

Since the beginning of 2011, Hafeez's batting and bowling stats in all formats are better than his overall career numbers. In ODIs his batting average has moved into the mid-30s, with all of his four centuries coming during this period. As an ODI bowler he has been far more economical, conceding just 3.56 runs per over. His Test batting average has moved into the 40s in this period, compared to his overall average of 38.41, while his highest Test score of 196 came against Sri Lanka in June 2012. His T20 stats have improved too in the last couple of years: all of his four half-centuries in T20Is have come during this period.