Pakistan bowling all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz has been out of the syllabus for many teams in recent matches.
The spin all-rounder has shocked big teams like India and New Zealand with his counter-attack approach and calm mind in death overs.
Nawaz's three innings at No. 4 have produced 125 runs at a strike rate of 202, two of them undefeated. Even though it is a small sample, the rest of his career (26 innings, 229 runs at 116) does not support anything even substantially comparable to these eruptions. Neither does his 126 career strike rate in Twenty20.
The left-hander created havoc with two strong innings of 45* and 38* in the Tri-Series with Bangladesh and New Zealand.
He has been Pakistan's get-out-of-jail card whenever quick batting collapses occur. Pakistan's team's strategy usually revolves around their best batsmen, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.
Pakistan team management tried Mohammad Nawaz as a gamble in the Super 4 match against India in the Asia Cup 2022. After the worst start from Pakistan's top order, Nawaz was sent to reduce the impact of Indian bowlers. Pakistan needed 119 from 68 balls when he came into bat.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Arshadeep Singh had destroyed Pakistan's top order inside the powerplay. Nawaz raced to his first 20 runs in nine balls, with Chahal and Bishnoi bowling from both ends.
With the wicket of Mohammad Rizwan, he took the matter into his hands and hit four fours off the successive six balls he played.
With Nawaz being a left-handed batsman, the gamble proved to be a success for the Pakistan team due to their weak middle order. The quickfire 42 runs innings from Nawaz helped Pakistan to clinch the last ball thriller from the Indian team.
Nawaz had only batted 14 times in 32 T20Is up to this moment. In 2018, he received just one promotion to No. 3, and that was it. Before this, he had never batted in the top six, and his average batting position is still No. 7 today.
He was a valuable bowler who could knock the order down, but Pakistan had not employed him in that capacity. Nawaz has only ever batted at No. 3 and No. 4 in the PSL.
With his heroics in the India match, Pakistan thought of utilising the Nawaz experiment against Bangladesh and New Zealand.
In the match against Bangladesh, the openers put up a 100-run partnership, but lost two wickets in the over of Hasan Mahmud. Pakistan needed 76 runs in 42 balls when the left-hander came to bat.
Rizwan and Nawaz made a quick 65-run partnership with 8 runs left for the last over. Nawaz kept his nerve and played smart cricket to take Pakistan over the line and face New Zealand in the Tri-Series final.
After a solid performance against Bangladesh, he repeated his heroics against New Zealand in the final, surprising the Kiwis. The 28-year-old hit 38 runs off 22 balls with a strike rate of 172.72 and finished the game for Pakistan in the last over with a six.
India will be looking for ways to overcome the Nawaz experiment and the best way to get the batter out is by bowling slower balls outside the off-stump.
