Pakistan Team Players: Batsmen, Bowlers and All-Rounders

Pakistan team players by role — the batsmen who set it up, the bowlers who knock it down, and the all-rounders who do both. A role-by-role breakdown of the men in green, built for fans who argue about line-ups.

Batsmen

Openers: Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan — the aggressive new pair; Fakhar Zaman the experienced alternative. Middle order: Babar Azam at the anchor, Salman Ali Agha and the keeper-batters floating. Finishers: Abdul Samad and Faheem Ashraf provide late muscle. Pakistan’s batting finally has both gears: caution from Babar, carnage from Saim.

Bowlers

Pace: Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah with the new ball — among the world’s most feared opening pairs; Haris Rauf and Mohammad Wasim Jnr in support. Spin: Abrar Ahmed’s mystery, Usman Tariq’s control, Shadab’s leg-breaks. On Sri Lankan pitches at the World Cup, this attack picks itself.

All-rounders

Shadab Khan (leg-spin + power hitting), Salman Ali Agha (off-spin + middle-order steel), Mohammad Nawaz (left-arm spin), Faheem Ashraf (seam). Three of them routinely play together — the balance that lets Pakistan field six bowling options.

The Best Combination

Hesson’s ideal XI: Saim, Farhan (wk), Babar, Fakhar, Agha (c), Shadab, Nawaz/Faheem, Shaheen, Naseem, Abrar, Mirza. Six bowlers, batting to eight — the template that took Pakistan to the Asia Cup final. Full squad context in our pillar guide.

Who is Pakistan’s best bowler?

Shaheen Shah Afridi — the new-ball king; Naseem Shah is the closest challenger and Abrar Ahmed the spin trump card.

Who are Pakistan’s opening batsmen?

Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan in T20Is — the aggressive pair that ended the Babar-Rizwan opening era.