Azhar Ali - Pakistan's All Time Leading Test Run Scorer By a Top Order Batsman By A Mile

[BoomBoomCricket]

Most runs at number 1, 2 or 3 for Pakistan in Test Match Cricket.
Big distance between Azhar and the next best.



Feels great to have a Captain with such an impressive record as a top order performer in the longer form of the game. Nice to see a Pakistan Captain who is a top order player and a big player at that. Batting at the hardest position generally and an important position where he'll be looking to set the tone for his team and really lead by example.

For me, he opens the batting in an all time Pakistan Test XI with Hanif.
He can play long innings without being fussed about his strike rate or scoring fluency unlike Anwar. He is one who'll make the bowlers earn their wicket and rarely throw his wicket away with an over ambitious shot.
He is prepared to be slow, boring, patient, defensive, watchful and disciplined which are valuable qualities to posses against the new ball when the pitch is fresh, bowlers are fresh, the ball is hard and fast bowlers are striving for early breakthroughs.

 

[Ab Fan]

Azhar is non comparable to Saeed and Hanif.

 

[BoomBoomCricket]

He hasn't got a winning Test 100 in SENA yet. Best is 92* at the Oval in 2010.
But there is no way Pakistan should have lost at Edgbaston when he made 139 in 2016 to give the team a 103 run lead on first innings.
And no way they should have lost when he scored 205* at the MCG and Pakistan posted 443-9 only to lose by an innings.
Must have been so frustrating for him.
Got 2 more SENA tours left in him - England and New Zealand this year when cricket resumes.

 

[BoomBoomCricket]

Azhar is non comparable to Saeed and Hanif.

Azhar has a 302* & 205* opening the batting for Pakistan in Tests. He has 5 more Test centuries than Saeed. He's been an integral part of the only Pakistan side that has topped the Test rankings in an age of exile. I'd rather have the obdurate Azhar to bat for my life over Saeed.

Michael Atherton played 115 Tests and made 16 100s, although he played in a challenging era for opening batters. He's a more well known Test opener worldwide compared to Anwar and a similar style of player to Azhar. Anwar not really the type to dig in to get you a gutsy 30 or 40.

In ODIs Anwar is a straightforward pick. But in Tests Azhar Ali is my choice to open the batting. Test 100s by Pakistan top order players:
Azhar = 16.
Hanif = 12.
Anwar = 11.
Hafeez = 10.
Mudassar = 10.
Majid Khan = 8.
Mohsin = 7.
Shoaib Mohammad = 7.
Aamir Sohail = 5.
Sadiq = 5.

2 Test 50s in the wins Pak had in England 2010 Eng tour.
Leading run scorer in 3-0 whitewash of Eng in 2012.
2 100s in a Test vs Aus in 2014.
Century in Eng and Aus in 2016.
2 100s in 1st series win in WI in 2017.
50 in Test win in Eng in 2018.
Serious player is Azhar. Done a lot

 

[Junaids]

And in the two years since he turned 33 he averages 12.12 outside Asia.

How does that feel?

 

[Maher96]

Azhar Ali contribution to Pakistan cricket overhaul has been immense that words will always fall short of praise for this individual who carries himself with so much grace. Since his Debut he has been criticized due batting from misbah's school of thought.

but the stats dont lie. we gotta produce one better than him.

 

[BoomBoomCricket]

And in the two years since he turned 33 he averages 12.12 outside Asia.

How does that feel?

Doesn't take away how well he has performed before that.
Even in Aus recently - how well he batted in the first innings at the Gabba. 75 for the opening stand.

 

[Kroll]

Doesn't take away how well he has performed before that.
Even in Aus recently - how well he batted in the first innings at the Gabba. 75 for the opening stand.

Exactly, Azhar's a nice guy but he should stand down now with no Test matches likely for a while.

 

[Ab Fan]

One of the great test quality opener of the modern era. Cricket is not all about stats and numbers and Azhar's legacy goes way beyond numbers.

From a brilliant double hundred in Australia against three really great bowlers to a gritty test quality century in Edgbaston in England, he has shown that he has the ability to adapt to the conditions, grind out and not only see off the new ball when the music is on but also go on and score big hundreds. Although acceptably not a great ODI cricketer but he still proved his credentials in big matches by playing a genuinely top quality knock against the greatest Indian ODI bowling attack in the biggest match of the previous decade- CT 2017.

Azhar is a testament to a great test quality stonewall defense opening batsmen in this era of wild and mindless 360° sloggers and hence cricket needs more men like Azhar and Pujara.

 

[BoomBoomCricket]

Exactly, Azhar's a nice guy but he should stand down now with no Test matches likely for a while.

He quit ODIs to prolong his Test career.
Pakistan have won their last two Tests under him by impressive margins.

 

[Bigboii]

We have a terrible batting history that's all I have to say after this stat

 

[Rana]

If he can end with an average of plus 45, he would be ending his career as a Pakistani great.

 

[coy0607]

And in the two years since he turned 33 he averages 12.12 outside Asia.

How does that feel?

One of the excuses used by his supporters was lack of match practice for a Test specialist. Now with Covid, he may not play another high level game till July (if that). This is going to to go from disaster to total catastrophe

 

[TeymurBlake]

Despite his shortcomings he's managed to build a good career for himself, but you can't deny the last two years have been poor for him and a retirement would be wise for him before he starts to regress even more.

 

[Slog]

he's a solid player

 

[Kroll]

He quit ODIs to prolong his Test career.
Pakistan have won their last two Tests under him by impressive margins.

You mean he got booted prior to the Zim series and then quit ODIs a few months later to prolong his career in bashing the mighty Srl and Bangla.

Don't get me wrong though, he's been a fantastic servant. But clearly struggling now, old age and a dodgy knee means he's no longer the player he was 4-5 years ago.

 

[saeed5646]

During 2016 i thought he will average close to 50 by next 3 years but now he is even struggling to maintain average around 45 in test which is pretty sad to see.

 

[Zaz]

Hes been a very decent servant for pakistan cricket Non controversial and level headed A sincere bloke

Not the most talented but hes grafted hard for the team

Hope he doesnt use up all his good that he has generated over the last decade before he retires

But no way does he displace anwar or hanif as openers

Or a few others on that list inc majid etc

 

[Mir jibran]

He quit ODIs to prolong his Test career.
Pakistan have won their last two Tests under him by impressive margins.

The upcoming english summer will decide his fate

 

[Kroll]

The upcoming english summer will decide his fate

The English summer isn't a certainty in the current climate.

 

[GreenKhan]

Azhar has been a solid servant for Pakistan . He has had tremendous peaks as a batsman which can’t be ignored .
He has been poor in the last two years no doubt about it , and that has diminished his stats a bit , but overall he’s been vital batsman for Pakistan and has scored in most if not all conditions.

He also went under the radar a bit for his vital contributions in CT17.

Overall a consummate pro and I have a lot of respect for the guy and how he has carried him self both on and off the field .

 

[Kroll]

How come after hailing their hero, the Misbah fan boys then start tagging Azhar?

Its a trend I’ve noticed on these boards.

 

[KingOfPakBreakfast]

Azhar Ali, for me is someone who embodies tenacity. He's someone who has made the most of his limited abilities and his fighting qualities are the type that every good test team needs. The posters on here will point to his stodgy technique and his last two years. But, in his prime, he was the type of batsmen that the strokemakers could play around.

Case in point, the much vaunted Indian batting line up could have used an Azhar Ali type on their recent New Zealand tour.

That said, he was emphatically never a LOI player, and it's the selectors lack of courage which meant he was picked for ODIs

 

[sweep_shot]

Azhar Ali lost his form. He was looking good to break Younis Khan's record (most runs in Test by a Pakistani) but it is looking unlikely now.

 

[Ab Fan]

Azhar has a 302* & 205* opening the batting for Pakistan in Tests. He has 5 more Test centuries than Saeed. He's been an integral part of the only Pakistan side that has topped the Test rankings in an age of exile. I'd rather have the obdurate Azhar to bat for my life over Saeed.

Michael Atherton played 115 Tests and made 16 100s, although he played in a challenging era for opening batters. He's a more well known Test opener worldwide compared to Anwar and a similar style of player to Azhar. Anwar not really the type to dig in to get you a gutsy 30 or 40.

In ODIs Anwar is a straightforward pick. But in Tests Azhar Ali is my choice to open the batting. Test 100s by Pakistan top order players:
Azhar = 16.
Hanif = 12.
Anwar = 11.
Hafeez = 10.
Mudassar = 10.
Majid Khan = 8.
Mohsin = 7.
Shoaib Mohammad = 7.
Aamir Sohail = 5.
Sadiq = 5.

2 Test 50s in the wins Pak had in England 2010 Eng tour.
Leading run scorer in 3-0 whitewash of Eng in 2012.
2 100s in a Test vs Aus in 2014.
Century in Eng and Aus in 2016.
2 100s in 1st series win in WI in 2017.
50 in Test win in Eng in 2018.
Serious player is Azhar. Done a lot

Where would you have him in Pakistan's top 10 batsmen of all-time?

Miandad
Inzamam, Younis, Yousuf
Anwar, Hanif
Majid, Saleem, Misbah, Azhar

That's 10 names I can think of.

 

[Hawkeye]

He's going through a really bad patch right now.

Have served us well and is a solid Test batsman.

In greatness obviously Saeed Anwar and Younis Khan are ahead from positions 1 to 3.

But I think after Saeed he's the best Test opener we've produced, there was just nobody else who could score mountain of runs.

 

[Last Monetarist]

Azhar has a 302* & 205* opening the batting for Pakistan in Tests. He has 5 more Test centuries than Saeed. He's been an integral part of the only Pakistan side that has topped the Test rankings in an age of exile. I'd rather have the obdurate Azhar to bat for my life over Saeed.

Michael Atherton played 115 Tests and made 16 100s, although he played in a challenging era for opening batters. He's a more well known Test opener worldwide compared to Anwar and a similar style of player to Azhar. Anwar not really the type to dig in to get you a gutsy 30 or 40.

In ODIs Anwar is a straightforward pick. But in Tests Azhar Ali is my choice to open the batting. Test 100s by Pakistan top order players:
Azhar = 16.
Hanif = 12.
Anwar = 11.
Hafeez = 10.
Mudassar = 10.
Majid Khan = 8.
Mohsin = 7.
Shoaib Mohammad = 7.
Aamir Sohail = 5.
Sadiq = 5.

2 Test 50s in the wins Pak had in England 2010 Eng tour.
Leading run scorer in 3-0 whitewash of Eng in 2012.
2 100s in a Test vs Aus in 2014.
Century in Eng and Aus in 2016.
2 100s in 1st series win in WI in 2017.
50 in Test win in Eng in 2018.
Serious player is Azhar. Done a lot

I will not deny that Azhar Ali has had a very decent career. However, it's pretty clear you never watched Saeed Anwar bat.

Anwar didn't play a lot of tests because of fitness issues and also by being diabolically pigeon-holed as an ODI specialist early on in his career by Imran. Now the fitness issues could be a valid reason to criticize him, but to suggest that he didn't perform under pressure is utter rubbish.

He had three daddy hundreds away from home during the 90s, which was an unprecedented feat for opening batsmen playing in that cutthroat era. No one else managed it, not Taylor, Slater, Kirsten, Jayasuriya, Atherton. No one else.

Go look up how he performed in crunch situations at Durban in 1998 or Kolkata in 1999 and you'd understand that a batsman doesn't need to be gritty to be able to dig his side out of a hole. Azhar Ali, to his credit, would himself acknowledge that he couldn't even dream of playing such innings.

Saeed is the most talented batsman to ever play for Pakistan, period, and even in his short test career he
proved that he had few peers. He had the highest away average of all openers in the decade; and he averaged slightly more away (45.66) than at home (45.36). An average of 45 in that era is seriously good, and I do feel his test career is criminally underrated by most people.

I hope you are just misguided because of not watching sufficient cricket during the 90s, and not merely being deliberately disingenuous. Looking at volume of runs without context is an utterly abysmal way of analyzing a career.

 

[Savak]

He has punched above his weight but he has also let us down on many occasions as well. His performance on the tour to South Africa for such an experienced player was down right embarrassing and any other country would have dropped him for his pathetic form since 2017 where his average dropped from 48 to 42. Only in a country like Pakistan would he have been persisted with based on seniority.

Even as an individual batsman, he is extremely one dimensional and very easy for the opposition to control. He is not going to ever play a match winning knock

 

[Savak]

Azhar Ali has also been suffering from a serious knee problem since 2017 which has hampered his footwork badly. He has admitted it in interviews and that he is doing his best to manage the problem but you can see that he struggles to run in the outfield because of the problem.

Too many Pakistani players have been suffering from knee problems in the last few years i.e. Junaid Khan, Imad Wasim, Azhar Ali. The PCB seriously needs to look into the fitness, training staff and the medical staff at the NCA

 

[Faizhassan]

There are many ways through which one can look at the career of Azhar. He played a stellar role in Misbah's team and was second best batsmen after Younis Khan. Also to his credit, has batted one down and opened the innings which is quite a tough act.

On the flip side, he has never lead the batting line up like Younis Khan, as he had the ability to define a series. Azhar has always been a support act. Also he was supposed to take his game a notch higher after Misbah and Younis retired but that has not happened. A Pakistani great to be frank but not anymore than that. Definitely better than Asad though.