Friday Fights | The Big ODI Fight - Mohammad Azharuddin vs Inzamam-ul-Haq

Friday Fights | The Big ODI Fight - Mohammad Azharuddin vs Inzamam-ul-Haq

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Who will win in this battle of former captains?

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Two fierce fighters and captains who defined an era of their respective countries, Mohammad Azharuddin and Inzamam-ul-Haq go face to face in today’s Friday Fights. While Azhar is considered to be gifted with magical wrist work, Inzamam is responsible for shaping the future of Pakistan cricket.

Today we have in the ring, two of the best leaders of their respective national teams, who marshalled their players in more than 250 ODI matches combined, Mohammad Azharuddin and Inzamam-ul-Haq. While Inzamam has scored 11,739 runs in ODI cricket, Azhar piled up 9378 runs in the limited-overs format. Having lost in their previous matches, both the fighters will be looking to make a comeback in this bout.  

Before the bout begins, let me remind you guys that this fight will be solely based on their statistics in ODI cricket and the player with the highest points at the end of all the rounds will be declared the undisputed winner of the match. 

So, without further ado, let’s get the stats rolling! 

ROUND 1 -> CAREER AVERAGE: Inzamam-ul-Haq starts with a bang!

Without wasting any time whatsoever, the former Pakistan captain has landed the first blow on the former Indian captain. Azhar did try to defend himself with an average of 36.92 but Inzamam looks in no mood to give any opportunities with an average of 39.52. Inzamam looks dangerously quick on his feet - will it be a one-sided contest??

Mohammad Azharuddin - 8 Inzamam-ul-Haq - 10

ROUND 2 -> AVERAGE IN FOREIGN CONDITIONS: Azhar makes a comeback!!

What a counter attack!! After getting hit right in the face in the previous round, Azhar looks determined to land some punches of his own and not let Inzamam make it a one-sided bout. Azhar made good use of his reflexes to dodge the punch from Inzamam and landed a huge jab with an away average of 39.49. Inzamam tried to get back on his feet with an away average of 36.74, but couldn’t connect any of his trademark punches.  

Mohammad Azharuddin - 10 Inzamam-ul-Haq - 8

ROUND 3 -> AVERAGE IN HOME CONDITIONS: Inzamam draws first blood

Wow!! We just witnessed a masterclass on attacking by Inzamam as he tried to finish the match in this round itself. After giving multiple blows to the body, Inzamam connected his right hand with an average of 56.89 and Azhar seems to have lost his consciousness for a minute. However, Azhar just managed to stand up with a home average of 38.57 at the last count of the referee. He might need some attention though, as blood spills through his mouth. 

Mohammad Azharuddin - 7 Inzamam-ul-Haq - 10

ROUND 4-> 50 TO 100 CONVERSIONS (in %): IT’S AN ALL-OUT BRAWL!!

Just when we thought the fight is going Inzamam’s way, Azhar came out all guns blazing, landing multiple body shots and taking advantage of Inzamam’s complacency, who thought the match was almost over. After getting woken up by huge punches, Inzamam gave Azhar a taste of his own medicine by targeting the rib cage of Azhar with a conversion rate of 10.75. However, Azhar just managed to connect the last punch winning the round with a conversion rate of 10.76. Things are getting heated up here at Friday Fights. 

Mohammad Azharuddin - 10 Inzamam-ul-Haq - 9

ROUND 5-> 50s IN WINNING CAUSE: SHEER DESTRUCTION FROM INZAMAM

What has gotten into Inzamam?? He looks like he has been possessed, connecting punches left and right. Azhar looked clueless in the whole round as tried his best to defend himself but once he got opened up, he got thrashed with a flurry of punches from the veteran from Pakistan. Inzamam summed up his attack with 55 50s in winning matches, while Azhar barely managing 32 50s. Will we witness an early knockout?

Mohammad Azharuddin - 7 Inzamam-ul-Haq - 10

ROUND 6-> STRIKE RATE IN SUCCESSFUL CHASES: AZHAR STRIKES BACK!!

Despite getting thrashed in the last round, Azhar held his own by knocking some punches and swiftly moving away from the dangerous 77.53 strike rate of Inzamam in successful chases. Inzamam did land a punch on Azhar’s head but it didn’t quite connect and the man from India connected his massive right hand with a strike rate of 79.50 and left Inzamam dizzy at the end of this round.   

Mohammad Azharuddin - 10 Inzamam-ul-Haq - 8

ROUND 7 -> CAREER STRIKE RATE: NOT ALLOWING A BREATHER

The intensity of this fight just keeps increasing. After a convincing victory in the last round, Azhar continued from where he left and landed two punches right in the frib of Inzamam. But Inzamam being the legend he is, connected his huge right hand with a career strike rate of 74.24. Azhar tried to connect his punches to the head with a strike of 74.02, but Inzamam dodged the punches quite easily. 

Mohammad Azharuddin - 9 Inzamam-ul-Haq - 10

ROUND 8 -> NO. OF FIFTY+ SCORES WITH 110+ SR: INZI GOING FOR A KNOCKOUT

What did we just see?? Inzamam broke Azhar’s nose with a perfect combo of 14 fifties with a strike rate of 110+. The referee had to intervene in between as Azhar was left struggling with just 8 fifties. Azhar finds it difficult to stand straight and one more attack from the big man from Pakistan could probably end this fight, but the bell saves Azhar. The match will at least go on for one more round.   

Mohammad Azharuddin - 7 Inzamam-ul-Haq - 10

ROUND 9 -> AVERAGE IN MAJOR TOURNAMENTS: IS THIS POSSIBLE????

How is this possible???? How can Azhar make a comeback like this after not being able to stand in the previous round? Guess his coach has given him some sort of booster. Right away when Inzamam’s guard was down, he managed to knock him from his feet by an average of 37.32 in major tournaments, leaving the big man, who has an average of 28.9, struggling to stay on his feet. Are we about to witness a turn around in this match??

Mohammad Azharuddin - 10 Inzamam-ul-Haq - 8

ROUND 10 -> AVERAGE IN SUCCESSFUL CHASES: INZI SAYS ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

Who doesn’t love a good underdog story?? Definitely not Inzamam. After Azhar showed signs of a comeback, Inzi showed his class by showing beautiful foot movement and connected a few punches with an average of 63.13 in successful run chases, that too in the 10TH ROUND. Talk about dependability. Azhar was not much behind with an average of 57.24, but he could not recover from the initial attack from the Pakistani.  

Mohammad Azharuddin - 8 Inzamam-ul-Haq - 10

FINAL ROUND -> 100s IN WINNING CAUSE: WHO WINS??

We have reached the last round of the fight and both the fighters don’t seem to give up after grueling rounds of intense boxing. Both the boxers have run out of steam, but are giving it all in this last round. The fight is in a standstill as both the players are looking for an opening, but failing to pierce each other’s defense. INZI DOES IT!! He lands his huge right hand with 7 hundreds in winning causes. Azhar tried to counter-attack with 4 hundreds but was left more beaten up between the two. 

Mohammad Azharuddin - 8 Inzamam-ul-Haq - 10

WINNER BY UNANIMOUS DECISION - Inzamam-ul-Haq

FINAL SCORE: 94-102

That’s it, folks!! Inzamam has managed to outdo his opponent in a convincing manner. He displayed good use of energy management by saving his energy for the last and landing the crucial punches at the time when Azhar had nothing left. Azhar tried to stage a comeback but was adjudged second-best in this intense bout, concluding this edition of Friday Fights. Stay tuned for the next match!

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