Babar Azam with Mohammad Rizwan for Pakistan (Source:@ICC/X.com)
Mohammad Rizwan's Pakistan are currently in New Zealand, and have lost the first game against an inexperienced home team. They lost the game by a huge margin, and the top-scorer of that match for Pakistan was Babar Azam.
The former Pakistan captain displayed signs of his best in the last game, but his form off-late has not been great, and he might end up failing in the second game. Nevertheless, Pakistan need other batters to step up and not depend entirely on Babar Azam. They do have some quality players in their ranks, and here are the three players who can outscore Babar in the 2nd ODI.
1. Salman Ali Agha
Salman Ali Agha has been pretty consistent in the ODI format for Pakistan in recent times. He has mixed caution with aggression nicely and has played a big role in Pakistan's wins in the last few series. Overall he has 1034 runs in just 29 ODI innings at an average of 44.95 and has six fifties and one century and displayed good form in the first game with 58 off just 48 balls.
Salman Ali Agha Record In ODIs (2025)
| Criterion | Data |
| Innings | 6 |
| Runs | 338 |
| Strike-Rate | 105.95 |
| Average | 56.33 |
As shown in the table, Salman Ali Agha has been in stellar form in 2025 with an average of over 55 and strike-rate too of above 100 too which shows that he has enough power in his game to score runs at a quicker rate which might be essential on a flat deck at the Seddon Park.
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2. Mohammad Rizwan
Mohammad Rizwan is known for his consistency, and in the last two years, he has evolved as an ODI batter. He has experience of playing in New Zealand conditions, and with series on the line, he might take more responsibility in the second ODI and get a big one. In New Zealand, he has three fifties in ODIs in 13 innings, and after failure in the last match, Rizwan is likely to make the second game count.
Mohammad Rizwan's Record In ODIs (2025)
| Criterion | Data |
| Innings | 6 |
| Runs | 250 |
| Strike-Rate | 73.52 |
| Average | 50 |
As shown in the table, has good record in ODIs in 2025, while in 2024, he had an average of 52.80 which makes him a reliable player and can outscore Babar Azam in the second ODI.
3. Imam-ul-Haq
Imam-ul-Haq has been out of favour in recent times, but with the injury of Usman Khan, he is all set to play the second ODI against the Kiwis. However, he has been in good form in domestic cricket and just before this series, he played two quality knocks of 41 and 79 in the National T20 Cup.
Imam-ul-Haq In Champions One-Day Cup 2024
| Criterion | Data |
| Innings | 4 |
| Runs | 212 |
| Strike-Rate | 90.99 |
| Average | 53 |
As shown in the table, his numbers in the Champions One Day Cup were also good and his overall record of 3148 runs in 72 innings at an average of 47.69 shows that he can score big runs at the international level. Imam-ul-Haq also has the technique to tackle the moving ball, and it makes him a player who can excel in the second ODI.
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