IAJ
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Btw a breathtaking century from Imran Nazir in the same match.
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Contact the PP Team
Babar Azam : "I model my batting on de Villiers"
- Thread starter Saj
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Pakfan123
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He is a batsman but can bowl of break, has taken 2 wickets in 8 matches, so can be useful if needed.
plus from what little i did see of him in the under 19 worldcup.. he was pretty good fielder too (correct me if im wrong)
Pakfan123
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I think he should be brought in the A team so that he gets experience and faces good cricketers who have played international cricket at some time.
ElRaja
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any vids of him from the u19, if hes from akmal family line he will pbly get a chance sooner rather than later.
Pakfan123
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Here's his picture, totally Akmal.
Pakfan123
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His video:
<iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/tczvQq4PjAk" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen></iframe>
<iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/tczvQq4PjAk" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen></iframe>
phoenix363
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Seems a pretty decent bowler too, tidy offspin like Mohammad Hafeez. And his favourite player is AB Devilliers so he must be good at fielding (hopefully).
sunnykhan
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I don't see such great timing at such a tender age. He is definitely a future star. IN'SHA'ALLAH
Newton_fan
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He is in great form !
AZ
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how good is this kid, eh?
solid technique, wonderful style, electric fielder.
has a lot of things going for him, just needs to be exposed more to 4-day cricket.
solid technique, wonderful style, electric fielder.
has a lot of things going for him, just needs to be exposed more to 4-day cricket.
Justcrazy
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I think he should be given a go at International cricket. Just to see how good is his temperament.
Slog
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What do you guys think?
How close is he to AB in style?
How close is he to AB in style?
khalil1986
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AB is a freak don't think you can emulate that.
Just hope the early success doesn't go to his head much like his cousin.
Talent is there just hope he has something substantial between the ears.
JibranAnsari
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Needs to work on his weakness against left arm spin , overall a very exciting prospect.
street cricketer
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It's great to read a very old thread and to know how the opinions were 6 or 7 years ago.
Umar Akmal was still a prodigy who had made a promising start to his career, someone had passed judgement on Shehzad's technique even 6 years before, Imran Nazir had just scored a brilliant century while AB was still an underpar test batsman. Nostalgic times!
Umar Akmal was still a prodigy who had made a promising start to his career, someone had passed judgement on Shehzad's technique even 6 years before, Imran Nazir had just scored a brilliant century while AB was still an underpar test batsman. Nostalgic times!
Asif khan
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He looks more Mahela Jayawardene than AB to me.
shaz619
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His style/technique remind me a great deal of the retired James Taylor
msb314
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His batting style is more similar to Amla IMO.
Both are not big hitters yet still manage to bat around a SR of 90.
Similat to De Kock too but De Kock is more powerful on the legslide and can hook/pull/flick of the legs for six with ease.
msb314
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Umar Akmal in his prime (2009-11) was more similat to Mahela imo.
soso_killer
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AB isn't someone you should model anything on IMO.
soso_killer
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To date he hasn't won a Test match for SA, he's definitely not overpar
Slog
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Well that's a pretty ignorant statement:
Just match winning performances against top teams AWAY this is a sample :
Ahmedabad 2008
Headingely 2008
Perth 2008
Perth 2012
Dubai 2012
LegendAli
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Doesn't change the fact ABD fails more times than not, he's like a 2.0 version of Afridi.
Ellipsism
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Because all the ex-players that select ABD in world elevens are crazy...
You're indirectly implying that you know better than professional analysts and commentators.
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Rayyman
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Babar Azam is a talented youngster. I hope he keeps working on his cricket and character.
soso_killer
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He won those matches on his own?
Ahmedabad 2008? Is that the match he scored 173? IIRC he was fathered by Kallis in that match, who made a 150+ score himself. I stand corrected, but I remember Kallis playing an instrumental role.
Headingely 2008- Wasn't that a draw when SA were behind by 200 runs or so? First Test of a 4 match series? If so then the likes of Smith, Amla and Prince stood out too. Everyone got hundreds.
Perth 2008- The 400 chase? That's not an AB match. That match belongs to G. Smith. He scored an attacking 100 at 60+ per hundred balls. That installed belief on his colleagues , it was because of him that SA even dared to think of chasing four hundred instead of dead batting for a draw. Besides, Kallis was there again to mentor AB, Amla also scored a 50+ batting at 3. When AB came in the wheels were in motion.
Very Similar to Sehwag's 91 in Chennai chasing 380 against England on a turner. Tendulkar scored a ton, but it was Sehwag who played an impact knock, and installed belief on his mates. He was rightly awarded MOM instead of Tendulkar. That is a Sehwag match.
Perth 2012- Sorry mate. That match belongs to Hashim Amla alone. And i want to put things into perspective for those who followed that game through cricketinfo. When Amla went in to bat, everyone thought, "here we go again" after an early wicket, in what was expected to be a low scoring match, with both teams having been dismissed around 220 and 160 respectively in the first innings. Those who didn't watch that game want to give Smith credit, to spite Amla. Amla attacked from the get go. He reached 50 from 36 balls, Smith hadn't attacked yet, he was still assessing the pitch. Only when Amla went past 50 did Smith go on a rampage of his own. Amla influenced him in a big way. Just like he influenced everyone in Perth 2008, by setting the tone up front.
Dubai 2012- Didn't Smith score a double ton? Sorry mate, again that's the captain's match leading from the front.
AB doesn't have a match of his own where he played an impact knock. An impact knock is not necessarily a swashbuckling knock (Sehwag: Chennai 08, Smith: Perth 08, Amla: Perth 2012, KP: Mumbai 2012).
An impact knock is an opportunistic knock that changes the complexion of a game (or threatens so) where an individual stood out even though others may or may not have contributed.
Kallis in Durban in his final Test is another classic example of an opportunistic knock, he knew the pitch was two paced and slow trying to force the issue would only lead to a dismissal. Batted at his tempo and led SA to a series win.
Laxman in Jo'burg 07 and Durban 11, two low scoring games with wickets flying. He thought, wait a minute let me stay as long as possible and runs will take care of themselves. He did exactly that scoring 90 in both games. India won both games, both were beautiful opportunistic knocks.
Amla took SA within 9 balls of a series victory in Kolkata 2010 single-handedly. It was am impact knock though SA lost that game.
AB has non of these knocks where the team rallied around him. Over 104 Tests, not a single one he won on his own. That's not someone I'd model my game around. Great players are more than numbers and stats, they are match winners.
AB is not, as such i don't rate him.
blackanhyellow
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Well if Afridi 2.0 means that a player averages 50+ in ODIs and Tests with a combined total of 45 centuries between the two formats, then I hope every player in Pakistan becomes Afridi 2.0.
Lol at ABD isn't a match winner.
If you consider all three formats ABD is probably the best out of all batsmen in the era of the three formats.
Virat might catch up to him if he ends up improving in the longest format.
The only thing ABD has going against him is that he wasn't part of a 50 over world cup winning team.
But neither was Sachin until near the very end of his career, does that mean he was overrated that entire time too?
Mamoon
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de Villiers is actually very poor in T20 Internationals, so Kohli is the best all format batsman.
Even Root has made more impact in T20 Internationals than de Villiers.
It is a mystery why de Villiers has failed to replicate his domestic T20 form into international T20s.
blackanhyellow
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Fahdi
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I see more Amla than AB in his technique honestly.
BabarAkmal_Fan
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Spot on prediction.
Mamoon
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I think he is overrated in Tests. Was behind Kallis, Smith and Amla in his own team and if you consider the other Test batsmen of his generation like Sangakkara, Younis, Cook, Clarke, Pietersen etc., he is behind them as well. In terms of winning Tests, he has been less influential than these batsmen.
The younger generation batsmen like Kohli, Root, Smith, Rahane and Williamson should overtake him as well.
In ODIs, he is indeed a brilliant batsman for multiple reasons, is not able to seize the big moments for South Africa. It's a cliched statement but he lacks that x-factor to win big games for his team like Dhoni has or had in the past, or someone like Ponting, even though talent wise he is second to none.
If he is chasing he will play a quality innings but will get out at the wrong time like vs Pakistan in the World Cup, or if he's batting first he will end up getting outshined by someone in the position, McCullum for example in the World Cup semifinal.
Keeping all of this in mind as well as his awful leadership, in my opinion, de Villiers is quite clearly an overrated cricketer and far from a legend or a great of the game many people, especially PPers, perceive him to be.
Cricket is not really a game of stats. He is a statistical marvel but I think he's just a very good player rather than a brilliant or a legendary one.
Calling him Afridi 2.0 is highly inappropriate though, he's by far a better player. I think he's more like a poor man's Pietersen.
TalentSpotterPk
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Babar Azam struggling on the Short Ball.
Dropped by Shannon Gabriel on 2 on a 137kph bouncer by Cummins.
Also leaving the bouncers awkwardly with eyes not on the ball.
Dropped by Shannon Gabriel on 2 on a 137kph bouncer by Cummins.
Also leaving the bouncers awkwardly with eyes not on the ball.
Ab Fan
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Azam is a very fine player tbh.
Not too sure of where this thread is going.
Not too sure of where this thread is going.
Abdullah719
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Nothing can beat the feeling of meeting The MAN himself. The great <a href="https://twitter.com/ABdeVilliers17?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ABdeVilliers17</a> has always been an idol for me. Pure class, batting genius, and a lovely dad & husband. Wish the very best to you legend and a very Happy Birthday. <a href="https://t.co/VjrPnQGMKe">pic.twitter.com/VjrPnQGMKe</a></p>— Babar Azam (@babarazam258) <a href="https://twitter.com/babarazam258/status/1097068352290344961?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2019</a></blockquote>
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DHONI183
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Still can´t forget his innings that he played recently against South Africa in the 2nd T20I I think. Just awesome, awesome batting it was. Great timing and placement he employed that day. He has evolved as a batsman the recent months it seems. Now seems to have added a sense of urgency to his batting and batted batted at good strike-rates when needed. He plays some marvelous strokes. So pleasing to watch the class that he bats with.
GoUgandaCranes
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Ab Fan
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That's nice from Babar. Definitely one of the young best batsmen to look forward to going ahead.
Lovely post. Except for the "lovely dad and husband". That's weird because only very close people can say these
zain7077
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Ma Sha Allah. Reading a few of the first few posts on this thread way back in 2009. How time flies. What a player he is turning out to be and long may it continue. In Sha Allah
Ronaldo7
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The first time i heard of him was during the 2012 U19 world cup. What a tournament he had.
Ab Fan
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One legend and one future legend together. Two of the finest modern era batters the game has seen.
Ozymandiasza
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Wow, you frequently insist on the "poor character" of AB, yet rate KP higher? A man that left his country of birth and played for another, only to be kicked out of that team.
AB is a far better player and man than KP. There, I said it.
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