Babar Azam and young Pakistani batsmen will learn a lot from high PSL run chases!

[Slog]

Good for the next generation

One of the major problems has been that PSL is low scoring league generally so batsmen aren't tested in big run chases where they have to go at more than 10+ runs an over for an extended period.

However if big runs are scored and need to be chased like today then it will help our batsmen in the long run

Babar put up a good statistical score today but in terms of match context it was a poor knock totally lacking match awareness.

However I am sure he will reflect on this a lot over the coming days and see how and where he can improve.

And hopefully he does put in the effort and eventually improves in this aspect

Also we need our young batsmen to be involved in such run chases against good bowling attacks in front of packed crowds

Our batting generation froom 2000 onwards was very poor hitting wise generally but I believe PSL can change this.

What we do need are such flat wickets on regular basis and not the day 5 pitches we get in UAE

 

[Chief Destroyer]

I didn't see it as a poor knock.

 

[Madplayer]

He played fine but could have been better obviously. Denly left it for too late as well.

Actually, The bowlers lost it for KK in the 1st innings to begin with.

 

[Xoib]

It was a pretty good knock from Babar target was beyond them blame the bowlers not Bobby

 

[Bleedgreen4ever]

PSL in Pakistan has been much much better so far

 

[Boi]

He actually played pretty well today other than the start. Was just too many runs needed in the end.

 

[Slog]

I didn't see it as a poor knock.

Lack of match awareness

Poor hitting game. He can definitely improve there and I think he will

 

[waleed88]

I liked his awareness to reach a 50.. that's what he does best

 

[Rinnegan Sasuke]

It was his best fifty so far, he's getting better. Patience goes a long way.

 

[SamNJ]

He could play anchor role and from the other end there had to be continuous hitting.

 

[Mamoon]

His first 20 deliveries cost KK the game. A poorly timed run chase but he can learn from these experiences if he has the desire to do so.

 

[waleed88]

And its hard to digest that babar is the best of the best we have... we won't be chasing big totals any time soon

 

[big_gamer007]

Babar played a good innings he just doesn’t have the 6th gear but hard not his fault very few players in the world have that gear..

It was upto others to accelerate faster.. He is limited in that regards and it’s upto PSL and Pakistan to build a team around him with others who hide his weakness..

 

[a_jawad]

This was a good knock from Babar. He is supposed to anchor the innings. Denly Ingram and co were supposed to be the 200 plus strike rate batsmen. It was basically Karachi's bowling that lost them the match. I wouldnt blame Babar for this one

 

[The_Odd_One]

That was a 210+ run chase in 20 overs which is tough for even the most elite power hitters and I think Babar played far better than any other batsman barring Kamran.

 

[waleed88]

It was his best fifty so far, he's getting better. Patience goes a long way.

Don't go by the numbers, the required rate was always climbing. This was a poorly timed t20 knock that required a strike rate of 200 atleast, and the pitch was easy to bat on.

 

[Plumb]

True he waste 8-10 balls initially and rest 8-10 for singles. He is good for a 50 in every game but game context not so much.

Had he kept up with the RRR hovering around 10-11 it wiuld have been different situation.

 

[Slog]

And its hard to digest that babar is the best of the best we have... we won't be chasing big totals any time soon

That's the sad part in a way

He is not only the best but he is the best we have by a huge margin.

Don't think any other Pakistani batsmen (under 30 atleast) is even capable of playing an innings like this despite of how flawed Babar is....

 

[waleed88]

This was a good knock from Babar. He is supposed to anchor the innings. Denly Ingram and co were supposed to be the 200 plus strike rate batsmen. It was basically Karachi's bowling that lost them the match. I wouldnt blame Babar for this one

'Supposed' to win you a match, which Babar has never done chasing a big total.

 

[waleed88]

That's the sad part in a way

He is not only the best but he is the best we have by a huge margin.

Don't think any other Pakistani batsmen (under 30 atleast) is even capable of playing an innings like this despite of how flawed Babar is....

Umar Akmal was a much better t20 batsman than this...

 

[Fahdi]

The task was beyond Babar's ability to lead the chase. His partner needed to bat quicker but Denly was missing dollies in the middle for a while and till 25-30 balls I think Babar had a higher SR.

People underrate Babar a lot but don't overestimate his ability as well. If you want him to play the leading role in a chase requiring 11+ an over you will be disappointed. The innings needed to be played around Babar as has been the case the entire tournament.

Hopefully one day Babar will improve but as of now expecting him to score a 25 ball 50(even that would not have been enough today) in a big chase is foolish.

 

[Khan12]

I thought he played a good innings and was very compsed which is good to see. This zalmi bowling is better then some international bowling sides.

 

[waleed88]

That was a 210+ run chase in 20 overs which is tough for even the most elite power hitters and I think Babar played far better than any other batsman barring Kamran.

This wasn't UAE, this was home conditions. You have to be doing better than that in your home conditions. For Babar, born and raised in Lahore, played on these pitches all his life. This was simply a shocking effort. Even Denly scored quicker than him.

 

[sohailmm]

Worrying thing is his match awareness and being too self centered ( let put it straight = selfish )knock .He is to blame for leaving it too late , if this guy is going to be future backbone of my country , then I am really worried.

 

[Tyler Durden]

Lol at all these folks saying he will learn! Mate! They lost just 1 wicket and this selfish lad was playing at a strike rate of 140 while chasing that total and the RR was over 15. What's the point of his 50 when he is not thinking about his Team's win? He just couldn't accelerate nor gift his wicket away. 13 runs is the difference. Which means a matter or 2 more sixes and he couldn't do it! And he will learn? Dude! He's not an newbie ! Lad has played almost 3 years of international cricket now and when would he learn? He's the sole reason for the loss today! Accept the fact and he's should take up the responsibility for this loss!

 

[Manager101]

To be honest, in T20, he shouldn't be even playing for domestic side.

Today, he should have gone out selflessly to let the hitters come in early but it was a choke of highest order. Someone from dug-out should have send a message to him and Denly to either hit or get out really.

In short, pathetic batting by KK. Just look at the amount of wickets left, chasing such a big score.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Lack of match awareness

Poor hitting game. He can definitely improve there and I think he will

Match awareness was pretty good because partnerships are the most important part in a run chase and he was scoring at a good SR. There was just too much on the board against a very good attack.

Only error was the start but it really wasn't because Hasan was bowling unplayable deliveries.

 

[waleed88]

The task was beyond Babar's ability to lead the chase. His partner needed to bat quicker but Denly was missing dollies in the middle for a while and till 25-30 balls I think Babar had a higher SR.

People underrate Babar a lot but don't overestimate his ability as well. If you want him to play the leading role in a chase requiring 11+ an over you will be disappointed. The innings needed to be played around Babar as has been the case the entire tournament.

Hopefully one day Babar will improve but as of now expecting him to score a 25 ball 50(even that would not have been enough today) in a big chase is foolish.

He should've gotten out earlier then. These were his home conditions, a player from Lahore can't score a 25 ball 50 in his home stadium. He has no right to be called a top 5 t20 batsman, the rankiings are a farce and he is not even a top 20 t20 batsman in the world at the moment. Stats don't justify how painful it is to watch Azam bat in this format.

 

[Rishta Aunty]

Don't think he has the ability to lead a tall chase like this. It's like putting Rahane in the same position; extremely talented bat but doesn't have the skillset.

More worrisome, it seems like he's more interested in personal statistical relevance than what is important for the team.

 

[Rana]

LOL they will learn nothing. This was actually one of Babar's most aggressive innings of all time. He did his best and he could only manage a difference of 20 runs more than the amount of balls he has faced.

People are probably writing off Mukhtar Ahmad already. What people will forget is that he actually wanted to play with the mindset required to play at 10 runs per over. Id rather have guys going back to the hut instead of missing out on boundary balls even once set at the crease

 

[The_Odd_One]

This wasn't UAE, this was home conditions. You have to be doing better than that in your home conditions. For Babar, born and raised in Lahore, played on these pitches all his life. This was simply a shocking effort. Even Denly scored quicker than him.

Did you even watch the game? Babar timed the ball far better than Denly who was mistiming every second ball. Babar was far more assured on the crease. He is not a power hitter. Everyone knows it. However, 170 in 16 overs is a massive target and not many batsmen can chase it down. KK's bowler messed up by bowling short balls to Kamran.

 

[waleed88]

LOL they will learn nothing. This was actually one of Babar's most aggressive innings of all time. He did his best and he could only manage a difference of 20 runs more than the amount of balls he has faced.

People are probably writing off Mukhtar Ahmad already. What people will forget is that he actually wanted to play with the mindset required to play at 10 runs per over. Id rather have guys going back to the hut instead of missing out on boundary balls even once set at the crease

This is Babar's best effort which is a tragedy. The best we have seen in the PSL's are 39 ball 94's, and 27 ball 77's. Babar is way off that mark. This lad plays Internationals for us, then why not bring Kamran Akmal back if his best can only be as good as 44 ball 66 which in these days is just average for a t20 batsman. Then don't talk about his rankings in t20s please.... He is overrrated beyond imagination

 

[waleed88]

Did you even watch the game? Babar timed the ball far better than Denly who was mistiming every second ball. Babar was far more assured on the crease. He is not a power hitter. Everyone knows it. However, 170 in 16 overs is a massive target and not many batsmen can chase it down. KK's bowler messed up by bowling short balls to Kamran.

Assured at the crease.......I am pretty sure Denly would be playing much better than Babar was had he been playing in Lahore all his life. Soemthing along the lines of what Kamran Akmal did. But Denly outbatted Babar for whatever reasons his strike rate was much superior while Babar only wanted to reach his 50.

 

[Slog]

Did you even watch the game? Babar timed the ball far better than Denly who was mistiming every second ball. Babar was far more assured on the crease. He is not a power hitter. Everyone knows it. However, 170 in 16 overs is a massive target and not many batsmen can chase it down. KK's bowler messed up by bowling short balls to Kamran.

Problem is.... There was selfishness on Babars part

Denly was hitting or trying to even if he was failing. Babar was playing it safe even though there were 9 wickets left

 

[thecrusade911]

It wasn't that poor a knock. Just 4 or 5 shots he hit straight to the fielders when he should have got the boundary which ultimately made the difference of 12 to 13 runs. Certainly yeah he needs to improve his hitting abilities.

 

[Pak Crescent]

Even sensed frustration from the commentators on his play today finally.

I want him to do well, but he should've not been sent that high up today - just didn't have it in him unfortunately. But but I was encouraged to see that he did outperform his-self once he was put in the corner. Learning experience. I guess im frustrated as a Karachi fan, but encouraged as a Pakistan fan.

 

[The_Odd_One]

Assured at the crease.......I am pretty sure Denly would be playing much better than Babar was had he been playing in Lahore all his life. Soemthing along the lines of what Kamran Akmal did. But Denly outbatted Babar for whatever reasons his strike rate was much superior while Babar only wanted to reach his 50.

No point in debating with someone who's criticism is extremely subjective. Denly's SR was better because he hit a few in the end. KK was in the game when Babar reached his 50. Your argument does not make any sense. I can understand the criticism if he was blocking but he was clearly trying his best to hit the ball as hard as he could.

 

[The_Odd_One]

Problem is.... There was selfishness on Babars part

Denly was hitting or trying to even if he was failing. Babar was playing it safe even though there were 9 wickets left

I think we watched a different match then. Babar was trying to hit the ball very hard.

 

[waleed88]

No point in debating with someone who's criticism is extremely subjective. Denly's SR was better because he hit a few in the end. KK was in the game when Babar reached his 50. Your argument does not make any sense. I can understand the criticism if he was blocking but he was clearly trying his best to hit the ball as hard as he could.

Point is you can start slowly granted you can make it up in the end. Denly ended up having a much better strike rate than Babar despite his first game in Lahore. Alot of batsmen can take off once they set their eye in. Babar is not one of them. He has no gear. He shouldn't be part of the t20 setup. This was home conditions and he has played in these grounds all his life. No excuses to not be doing better.

 

[IAJ]

Imagine whole of PSL being played in Pakistan. Would have loved that. And there would have been many chasing opportunities.

 

[Fahdi]

He should've gotten out earlier then. These were his home conditions, a player from Lahore can't score a 25 ball 50 in his home stadium. He has no right to be called a top 5 t20 batsman, the rankiings are a farce and he is not even a top 20 t20 batsman in the world at the moment. Stats don't justify how painful it is to watch Azam bat in this format.

Ok do tell me when have you ever seen a batsman get out deliberately because he wasn't able to manage the RRR. Not once have I seen this happen. I have seen fans scream this often but never have I seen this practiced and I am sure all hell would have broken loose had Babar done this.

No sir he is not among the top 5 T20 bats, not even among the top 10. Probably in the 15-20 bracket. Giving even greater importance to capability there will be about 25 guys who you can put ahead of him but that isn't all that matters, Babar has put up plenty of solid performances in T20Is to get the number 1 ranking, he didn't hack the computers if that's what you think.

I said he most likely can't score a 25 ball 50 in a tense chase hence expecting such an innings is foolish. He may end up scoring at such a rate if the momentum is already there and there isn't so much pressure.

It was on the back of Babar's many 50s in this tournament that Karachi have made it to this stage. The thing to understand is that Babar plays second fiddle and is good at it. Others bat around him and he ticks along at a 130ish SR in most cases and can up it to 160 at times but that's about as much as you can expect.

 

[The_Odd_One]

Point is you can start slowly granted you can make it up in the end. Denly ended up having a much better strike rate than Babar despite his first game in Lahore. Alot of batsmen can take off once they set their eye in. Babar is not one of them. He has no gear. He shouldn't be part of the t20 setup. This was home conditions and he has played in these grounds all his life. No excuses to not be doing better.

Not many batsman can play an anchor role and bat at 200+ SR. Babar is no Warner or Sharma. However, he is remarkably consistent and bats at an acceptable SR. Your expectation from him is unrealistic. The argument of batting on home grounds is so childish that it does not even warrant a response.

 

[rhony]

First of all, don't compare Babar with Denly. Denly is an average player. Babar needs to improve his SR and mindset. There is no debate about that. A premeir batsman is expected to score big, which he did, and keep up with the rate, which he didn't. His end SR matters to nothing if he sticks around until the end and the team loses big.

 

[Gotham Cronie]

Don't assume anything with Pakistani batsmen.

 

[Lupe]

I think he played a decent innings. Took a while to get settled in the middle - 11 balls I think it was. Hopefully he learns a lot from this innings, as like Daren Ganga on the commentary said BOTH batsmen were lacking innovation. Also at one point, Babar strike rate was higher than Denly, and Denly was mistiming the ball. Babar needs to hit the gym though, he looks to frail and timid. Which will hopefully improve his power game, and let him have more of a impact on the game such as these ones.

Additionally, Babar and Denly were finding the fielders on some bad balls at the start of their innings especially Babar as kept finding the fielders throughout his innings, which were "hit me" balls, which would have brought his strike rate and the scoreboard pressure down quite a bit.

In the future though, I do think he needs to open the innings in T20s as you cannot afford to have a anchor batsmen, which I think Babar is walking in at no.3. Imagine Babar walking in at 3 and you have to score 10+ per over. Doesn't fill you with confidence as Rameez Raja would say. Scoring from the word go isn't Babar's game, and this is where he needs to improve a lot.

Peshawar Zalmi were quite smart though, as no spinners came onto ball. If they had Dawson bowling, I think the game would have been much closer.

In conclusion, I didn't think Babar could score more than 100+ strike rate, so was glad to be proven wrong. Hopefully he learns from this game, and improves his stroke play and innovation as he needs identify he has lots to learn and a long way to go to be in the same bracket as a David Warner, Virat Kohli or Steven Smith. Babar is currently in my opinion in the 'tier 3' bracket of batsmen with the likes of Joe Root, and Kane Williamson. Anchor batsmen who cannot change the game such as this game, but will have a decent attempt.

 

[waleed88]

Ok do tell me when have you ever seen a batsman get out deliberately because he wasn't able to manage the RRR. Not once have I seen this happen. I have seen fans scream this often but never have I seen this practiced and I am sure all hell would have broken loose had Babar done this.

No sir he is not among the top 5 T20 bats, not even among the top 10. Probably in the 15-20 bracket. Giving even greater importance to capability there will be about 25 guys who you can put ahead of him but that isn't all that matters, Babar has put up plenty of solid performances in T20Is to get the number 1 ranking, he didn't hack the computers if that's what you think.

I said he most likely can't score a 25 ball 50 in a tense chase hence expecting such an innings is foolish. He may end up scoring at such a rate if the momentum is already there and there isn't so much pressure.

It was on the back of Babar's many 50s in this tournament that Karachi have made it to this stage. The thing to understand is that Babar plays second fiddle and is good at it. Others bat around him and he ticks along at a 130ish SR in most cases and can up it to 160 at times but that's about as much as you can expect.

I would like to see Babar score one of these 'great' 50s in a run chase, where we actually win.

Or an ODI 100 in a run chase where we actually win - a high scoring game

Is it too much to ask in this era where its a consistent finding in all teams, Bangladesh and Srilanka included... when was the last time Babar scored a match winning 50 in a run chase, and by run chase I mean a high scoring run chase?

 

[rhony]

Not many batsman can play an anchor role and bat at 200+ SR. Babar is no Warner or Sharma. However, he is remarkably consistent and bats at an acceptable SR. Your expectation from him is unrealistic. The argument of batting on home grounds is so childish that it does not even warrant a response.

Acceptable according to T20 standards? That doesn't mean anything. The scores vary and you need versatility. Just scoring at 120 SR doesnt mean much when the RRR is higher.

 

[Siraj.Hussain]

I too thought he played well. Batting at a strike-rate of 200+ isn't his game, and we shouldn't expect him to do so.

But, I think the important thing to look at is the change in mentality in Pakistan Cricket. We have much higher standards.

Not even that long ago, our anchors were Azhar Ali, Misbah and co, and the likes of Sarfraz were the batsman who batted around those anchors.

Now, it is the likes of Babar and Sarfraz that are our anchors and the likes of Zaman bat around them.
It's more applicable to 50 over cricket in my opinion, but we can't be complaining at our resident 'anchor' today who got 63 (45) at a strike rate of 140 odd, that too playing relatively risk-free cricket.

The challenge for him is not to "develop a power game and follow Kohli" like many people are saying. He isn't built for it. The challenge is to try and bat at the 140 odd strike rate more often in 50 over cricket. If he can do that consistently, he'll be a superstar. The best thing is, he has the ability to.

 

[waleed88]

Not many batsman can play an anchor role and bat at 200+ SR. Babar is no Warner or Sharma. However, he is remarkably consistent and bats at an acceptable SR. Your expectation from him is unrealistic. The argument of batting on home grounds is so childish that it does not even warrant a response.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/series/...almi-vs-karachi-kings-27th-match-psl-2017-18/

Ok, this was not an eliminator, this was a group match, and it was not a 200 in 20 overs chase.

Can you please tell me what was the mindset behind scoring at a Strike Rate of 130? While chasing 188 in 20 overs.

Bhai ab tou koi excuse nahi hai? Lahore ki pitches bhi nahi hai... I would like to know where was the acceleration here?

 

[sshakir411]

Babar has been around in the International scene for a while now and has failed to rise or play according the situation numerous times. He chickened out while chasing 300+ in Australia and scored a soft hundred...also celebrated the same hundred like he achieved something astronomical. Babar should already have the game awareness for chasing 170 in 16 overs...he doesn't..it's clear

 

[waleed88]

Not many batsman can play an anchor role and bat at 200+ SR. Babar is no Warner or Sharma. However, he is remarkably consistent and bats at an acceptable SR. Your expectation from him is unrealistic. The argument of batting on home grounds is so childish that it does not even warrant a response.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/series/...ited-vs-karachi-kings-15th-match-psl-2017-18/

Can you please explain to me the performance in this game? He made a 55 off 53 deliveries batting first, was there any scoreboard presssure on him? Was there any problems with the conditions of the pitch? No Becuase Islamabad chased it down with more than 2 overs to spare. This defeat solely falls on the hands of Babar Azam, I will call this a match losing effort. Because if you have wasted 9 overs just to make your 50 then the opposition deserve to win by 2 overs to spare.

 

[waleed88]

Ok do tell me when have you ever seen a batsman get out deliberately because he wasn't able to manage the RRR. Not once have I seen this happen. I have seen fans scream this often but never have I seen this practiced and I am sure all hell would have broken loose had Babar done this.

No sir he is not among the top 5 T20 bats, not even among the top 10. Probably in the 15-20 bracket. Giving even greater importance to capability there will be about 25 guys who you can put ahead of him but that isn't all that matters, Babar has put up plenty of solid performances in T20Is to get the number 1 ranking, he didn't hack the computers if that's what you think.

I said he most likely can't score a 25 ball 50 in a tense chase hence expecting such an innings is foolish. He may end up scoring at such a rate if the momentum is already there and there isn't so much pressure.

It was on the back of Babar's many 50s in this tournament that Karachi have made it to this stage. The thing to understand is that Babar plays second fiddle and is good at it. Others bat around him and he ticks along at a 130ish SR in most cases and can up it to 160 at times but that's about as much as you can expect.

Can you please explain to me the performance in this game? He made a 55 off 53 deliveries batting first, was there any scoreboard presssure on him? Was there any problems with the conditions of the pitch? No Becuase Islamabad chased it down with more than 2 overs to spare. This defeat solely falls on the hands of Babar Azam, I will call this a match losing effort. Because if you have wasted 9 overs just to make your 50 then the opposition deserve to win by 2 overs to spare.

And you said Babar's 50 brought us in this tournament alone to the semis? I hate to be bearer of bad news but 3 out of 5 fifties are in match losing causes. So Misbah might have gotten some slack for piling up runs, but that was a really bad batting outfit and Misbah was sefish because others had no interest in batting and we had a tail starting from Umar Akmal at no.5.

Babar's endeavors are much more selfish because the whole lineup is waiting and he carries on his merry way.

 

[Savak]

Babar is too timid. Don't see him surviving a tough hostile spell of fast bowling and doesn't appear to have the ability to play out of his comfort zone.

 

[waleed88]

My bad, 4 of Babar's 5 fifties in the PSL are in match losing causes* [MENTION=133920]Fahdi[/MENTION]

http://www.espncricinfo.com/series/...ited-vs-karachi-kings-15th-match-psl-2017-18/

 

[Slog]

My bad, 4 of Babar's 5 fifties in the PSL are in match losing causes* [MENTION=133920]Fahdi[/MENTION]

If that's true that's a very damning statistic

 

[GrandMaster]

TBH Denly & Babar to be blamed. They were playing at the SR of ~ 100/110 until the 12th over.

 

[waleed88]

If that's true that's a very damning statistic

http://www.espncricinfo.com/pakistan/content/player/348144.html

See for yourself,

 

[reversehook]

depends if they wanna use brains or not.... or a anu and hamza type situation can do a stunner on any chase outta no where...

 

[Fahdi]

I would like to see Babar score one of these 'great' 50s in a run chase, where we actually win.

Or an ODI 100 in a run chase where we actually win - a high scoring game

Is it too much to ask in this era where its a consistent finding in all teams, Bangladesh and Srilanka included... when was the last time Babar scored a match winning 50 in a run chase, and by run chase I mean a high scoring run chase?

Yes it is too much to expect that from Babar as long as he is alone. Like I said he plays second fiddle and that's what he is good at. Babar is not as good as Joe Root, now look at how Root plays. The guys around him Hales, Roy, Stokes, Morgan, Butler etc are the ones doing the heavy lifting with Root in most cases just playing the supporting role. When Roy scored that 180* against Australia whilst chasing Root hit a 90 at a SR of 82! You think Root can manage to reverse the roles i.e. score a 150+ with Roy being the accumulator? absolutely not! Babar isn't nearly as good as Root and you expect him to play the lead in big chases which even Root can't manage on most occasions? Even in that 230 chase against SA Root depended on the other for about half the innings, again he is a much better batsman than Babar so I don't want to compare specific innings.

Let me give you a scenario: 330 required in 50 overs, Fakhar leads the chase with 120 off 100 Babar if he gets going will manage to support him with 100 off 105 balls or 110 off 105 ball. End result 230 run partnership off 210 deliveries, rest of the team needs to manage 100-110 off 90-100 balls. Now take away Fakhar's hundred and say Babar is partnered with Hafeez, Malik etc who both manage 30s Babar will have to handle the chase and will likely either end up scoring something like(3 outcomes come to mind); 100 off 115 deliveries, 85 off 80 deliveries or even a 70 off 85-90 deliveries. End result Pakistan loose, threads pop up about how Babar is too slow, selfish blah blah blah and we end up having a similar discussion again.

 

[Fahdi]

Can you please explain to me the performance in this game? He made a 55 off 53 deliveries batting first, was there any scoreboard presssure on him? Was there any problems with the conditions of the pitch? No Becuase Islamabad chased it down with more than 2 overs to spare. This defeat solely falls on the hands of Babar Azam, I will call this a match losing effort. Because if you have wasted 9 overs just to make your 50 then the opposition deserve to win by 2 overs to spare.

And you said Babar's 50 brought us in this tournament alone to the semis? I hate to be bearer of bad news but 3 out of 5 fifties are in match losing causes. So Misbah might have gotten some slack for piling up runs, but that was a really bad batting outfit and Misbah was sefish because others had no interest in batting and we had a tail starting from Umar Akmal at no.5.

Babar's endeavors are much more selfish because the whole lineup is waiting and he carries on his merry way.

never said Babar's 50s alone brought you(I'm an ISLU fan) to the semis. Where did that alone even come from. And reading the stats I stand corrected. Though in the 138 all out match he simply gave up when the cause seemed hopeless and just scored a personal milestone. He started off strongly though and was basically batting alone in the power play. Bad attitude there won't defend that.

That 55 was the one in which his partner was Khurram? Yeah that was a pretty terrible innings, was out of touch and was trying to score but looked like a tailender.

 

[backfootpunch]

Lol at all these folks saying he will learn! Mate! They lost just 1 wicket and this selfish lad was playing at a strike rate of 140 while chasing that total and the RR was over 15. What's the point of his 50 when he is not thinking about his Team's win? He just couldn't accelerate nor gift his wicket away. 13 runs is the difference. Which means a matter or 2 more sixes and he couldn't do it! And he will learn? Dude! He's not an newbie ! Lad has played almost 3 years of international cricket now and when would he learn? He's the sole reason for the loss today! Accept the fact and he's should take up the responsibility for this loss!

spot on

 

[Pak Crescent]

man, some of the comments on here seem to be from people that haven't watched Pakistani cricket in the last decade.

1) He is the best we have
2) He is improving and can hit (140 is no joke)
3) He is not a top 5 batsmen in the world, and may never get there - totally ok
4) We don't have a bench full of Kohli's and Smiths
5) Pakistan cricket is still catching up and a long ways to go

 

[Fahdi]

Yes it is too much to expect that from Babar as long as he is alone. Like I said he plays second fiddle and that's what he is good at. Babar is not as good as Joe Root, now look at how Root plays. The guys around him Hales, Roy, Stokes, Morgan, Butler etc are the ones doing the heavy lifting with Root in most cases just playing the supporting role. When Roy scored that 180* against Australia whilst chasing Root hit a 90 at a SR of 82! You think Root can manage to reverse the roles i.e. score a 150+ with Roy being the accumulator? absolutely not! Babar isn't nearly as good as Root and you expect him to play the lead in big chases which even Root can't manage on most occasions? Even in that 230 chase against SA Root depended on the other for about half the innings, again he is a much better batsman than Babar so I don't want to compare specific innings.

Let me give you a scenario: 330 required in 50 overs, Fakhar leads the chase with 120 off 100 Babar if he gets going will manage to support him with 100 off 105 balls or 110 off 105 ball. End result 230 run partnership off 210 deliveries, rest of the team needs to manage 100-110 off 90-100 balls. Now take away Fakhar's hundred and say Babar is partnered with Hafeez, Malik etc who both manage 30s Babar will have to handle the chase and will likely either end up scoring something like(3 outcomes come to mind); 100 off 115 deliveries, 85 off 80 deliveries or even a 70 off 85-90 deliveries. End result Pakistan loose, threads pop up about how Babar is too slow, selfish blah blah blah and we end up having a similar discussion again.

Will change these to 100 off 125 and 65 off 60

 

[Plumb]

Pakistani batsmen learning and fixing their issues even 50%.. I am yet to see such batsmen. Learning and hard working is what we poor at

 

[Hasan123]

He has a lot to improve on but we must forget he is one of our better batsmen. It's not easy to chase such scores versus good quality attacks. I would like to have seen him accelerate a bit earlier. Don't think he is capable of playing a knock like Kamis. But he can still bat at a good strike rate but he needs more power hitters around him.

 

[Fahdi]

[MENTION=135196]waleed88[/MENTION]

This back and forth will keep on going so I'll just state where I stand and I don't think my opinion will change anytime soon.

People expect too much of Babar and at the same time underrate his worth. Babar is not a Joe Root calibre player not even close but he plays a similar role. People who expect Babar to lead the innings from the front the way Virat Kohli and AB Devillers do will be disappointed. Babar plays the support role, the side-kick to some other hero the second fiddle. He needs the players around him to do the heavy lifting, when chasing lets say 200 in 20 overs Babar can give a 40 ball 60 maybe a 65. His innings can hold the effort together but he won't be the guy who truly wins you the game. He needs players who smacks a 20 ball 40 and a 30 ball 50 with him to get there.

This is Babar's limitation. He has other flaws as well. He is a tad selfish. When he feels the situation is hopeless he often stops trying and just goes for his personal milestone, has done this before as well. He is indeed pretty timid, doesn't have the dominant sort of personality. I'm sure there are other flaws as well.

Now I'd like to have better options than Babar. I want someone as talented and driven to succeed as Kohli but we don't have any. Use Babar well and we can win plenty of matches with his contributions playing a key role but he won't give performances like Root's 82(chasing 230 in 20 overs) and Kohli's 130 odd(chasing 320 in 40 overs).

This is not to say Babar can't improve or become far worse. But this is how I believe things currently stand with Babar. Others are welcome to their own opinions.

 

[Send1983]

Lol at all these folks saying he will learn! Mate! They lost just 1 wicket and this selfish lad was playing at a strike rate of 140 while chasing that total and the RR was over 15. What's the point of his 50 when he is not thinking about his Team's win? He just couldn't accelerate nor gift his wicket away. 13 runs is the difference. Which means a matter or 2 more sixes and he couldn't do it! And he will learn? Dude! He's not an newbie ! Lad has played almost 3 years of international cricket now and when would he learn? He's the sole reason for the loss today! Accept the fact and he's should take up the responsibility for this loss!

This. Spot on. If you have lost only 2 wickets in entire innings and you could not get anywhere within 6 of last ball, then you must have played an horrible innings or messed up the chase big time.

 

[Send1983]

man, some of the comments on here seem to be from people that haven't watched Pakistani cricket in the last decade.

1) He is the best we have
2) He is improving and can hit (140 is no joke)
3) He is not a top 5 batsmen in the world, and may never get there - totally ok
4) We don't have a bench full of Kohli's and Smiths
5) Pakistan cricket is still catching up and a long ways to go

Lol. 140 sr on that packet size ground is nothing. Sorry.

 

[Kashmirilion]

Umar Akmal was a much better t20 batsman than this...

Keyword "was"

 

[Square Drive]

Don't see why people are crying over Babar's knock.

Sure he started off slowly but he made up for that quite well. Also keep in mind Peshawar's bowling attack. Proper international quality attack.

Not Babar's fault that KK's bowlers and Kamran ensured that the target was 170 in 16 overs.

 

[Markhor]

Finishing eight wickets in hand in a crucial run chase is unacceptable.

 

[srh]

Finishing eight wickets in hand in a crucial run chase is unacceptable.

Agreed. Babar screwed up the chase with Danley.

 

[waleed88]

[MENTION=135196]waleed88[/MENTION]

This back and forth will keep on going so I'll just state where I stand and I don't think my opinion will change anytime soon.

People expect too much of Babar and at the same time underrate his worth. Babar is not a Joe Root calibre player not even close but he plays a similar role. People who expect Babar to lead the innings from the front the way Virat Kohli and AB Devillers do will be disappointed. Babar plays the support role, the side-kick to some other hero the second fiddle. He needs the players around him to do the heavy lifting, when chasing lets say 200 in 20 overs Babar can give a 40 ball 60 maybe a 65. His innings can hold the effort together but he won't be the guy who truly wins you the game. He needs players who smacks a 20 ball 40 and a 30 ball 50 with him to get there.

This is Babar's limitation. He has other flaws as well. He is a tad selfish. When he feels the situation is hopeless he often stops trying and just goes for his personal milestone, has done this before as well. He is indeed pretty timid, doesn't have the dominant sort of personality. I'm sure there are other flaws as well.

Now I'd like to have better options than Babar. I want someone as talented and driven to succeed as Kohli but we don't have any. Use Babar well and we can win plenty of matches with his contributions playing a key role but he won't give performances like Root's 82(chasing 230 in 20 overs) and Kohli's 130 odd(chasing 320 in 40 overs).

This is not to say Babar can't improve or become far worse. But this is how I believe things currently stand with Babar. Others are welcome to their own opinions.

I completely agree with you with the highlighted portion of your post

 

[msb314]

I didn't see it as a poor knock.

It was a decent T20 knock by usual standards but the problem is they were chasing 10+ RPO from the get go.

Maybe BBar could have accelerated earlier but very difficult to chase. I knew the game was over at the half way mark.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Finishing eight wickets in hand in a crucial run chase is unacceptable.

It would've made no difference had Babar and Denly given their wickets away. Karachi would've collapsed for 120 and everyone would've had something else to complain about.

 

[Pakpak]

yes it is too much to expect that from babar as long as he is alone. Like i said he plays second fiddle and that's what he is good at. Babar is not as good as joe root, now look at how root plays. The guys around him hales, roy, stokes, morgan, butler etc are the ones doing the heavy lifting with root in most cases just playing the supporting role. When roy scored that 180* against australia whilst chasing root hit a 90 at a sr of 82! You think root can manage to reverse the roles i.e. Score a 150+ with roy being the accumulator? Absolutely not! Babar isn't nearly as good as root and you expect him to play the lead in big chases which even root can't manage on most occasions? Even in that 230 chase against sa root depended on the other for about half the innings, again he is a much better batsman than babar so i don't want to compare specific innings.

Let me give you a scenario: 330 required in 50 overs, fakhar leads the chase with 120 off 100 babar if he gets going will manage to support him with 100 off 105 balls or 110 off 105 ball. End result 230 run partnership off 210 deliveries, rest of the team needs to manage 100-110 off 90-100 balls. Now take away fakhar's hundred and say babar is partnered with hafeez, malik etc who both manage 30s babar will have to handle the chase and will likely either end up scoring something like(3 outcomes come to mind); 100 off 115 deliveries, 85 off 80 deliveries or even a 70 off 85-90 deliveries. End result pakistan loose, threads pop up about how babar is too slow, selfish blah blah blah and we end up having a similar discussion again.

potw.

 

[The_Odd_One]

http://www.espncricinfo.com/series/...ited-vs-karachi-kings-15th-match-psl-2017-18/

Can you please explain to me the performance in this game? He made a 55 off 53 deliveries batting first, was there any scoreboard presssure on him? Was there any problems with the conditions of the pitch? No Becuase Islamabad chased it down with more than 2 overs to spare. This defeat solely falls on the hands of Babar Azam, I will call this a match losing effort. Because if you have wasted 9 overs just to make your 50 then the opposition deserve to win by 2 overs to spare.

How much did the better batsman Denly score in that game?

Babar has a weak power game. Everyone acknowledges it but your criticism of him is OTT. He is no Warner but he's no Shehzad either.

 

[waleed88]

How much did the better batsman Denly score in that game?

Babar has a weak power game. Everyone acknowledges it but your criticism of him is OTT. He is no Warner but he's no Shehzad either.

Its not resulting in match winning innings whether you like it or not.