Fakhar Zaman

Born in Mardan, where the standard of batsmanship will always be measured by arguably Pakistan's greatest Test batsman Younis Khan, Fakhar Zaman had been on Pakistan's thankless domestic circuit for over five years with almost no attention. A left-handed opener with an unusually high backlift, Zaman relies on raw power for his runs, which he's made plenty of. But it wasn't until the Quaid-e-Azam trophy in 2016-17 that his form began to be noticed. Zaman scored 663 runs in the competition at an average of 51, including 170 in the second innings of the final.

His prolific form earned him a contract in the PSL with the Lahore Qalandars in 2017, where he would become a bona fide legend, perhaps the greatest batter in the league's history. Staying with the franchise throughout his career, he became the second-highest run-getter, his strike rate in the 140s far superior to the one man - Babar Azam - who has scored more. Qalanders have won three PSL titles in his time with them, with Zaman playing pivotal roles in each.

His first three T20Is only brought him 26 runs, and much of the world was still unaware of his talent when he made his ODI debut a couple of months later, in England, during the 2017 Champions Trophy. Having missed the opening-match defeat to India, Zaman turned Pakistan's batting fortunes around with scores of 31, 50, 57 and 114 in his first four ODI innings, his strike rate of 113.00 giving a dated 50-overs line-up some much needed oomph at the top of the order. That maiden hundred in the Champions Trophy final set up a total of 338 that proved a long way beyond India's reach, and won Zaman the player-of-the-match award.

It is moments like those that have made Zaman one of this generation's most electric white-ball players, though he has combined it with a decade of consistency. In a Pakistan side where he was never quite the focal superstar, he was the one the team turned to in the highest-pressure, most clutch moments. He repaid that faith with innings of breathtaking devastation, knocks that might be career highlights for some scattered about like confetti. A 193 against South Africa, a century the following game, an unbeaten 180 and 126 against New Zealand in 2023 - the latter to keep Pakistan alive in the World Cup - an unbeaten 210, Pakistan's biggest individual ODI innings.

His T20I career has had its own fleeting moments of thrill, but perpetually batting out of position to make way for Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan up top, they don't quite glitter like his ODI or PSL numbers.

Injuries towards the twilight of his career robbed him of rhythm, but when available, Zaman continues to be one of the first names on Pakistan's white ball team sheets, the clearing of the front leg and the hoick over long-on among the more iconic shots in Pakistani batting's oeuvre.