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Babar Azam: Rankings watch in Test matches

No the gap is too big right. You would need both Babar to do amazing and the other two to fail.

Kane has a good lead too. However I think minimum of #4 should be aim this time next year.

This time next year? Why lol. He can get there with the series in Bangladesh.
Breaking into the top 3 is the medium term goal
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Babar Azam has reached a career-high fifth position in the ICC Test Batting Rankings after his 143 in the first Test against Bangladesh <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PAKvBAN?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PAKvBAN</a> <a href="https://t.co/vxtyew5ksO">pic.twitter.com/vxtyew5ksO</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1227153339038781441?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
He can reach #3 easily. That is where the actual difficulty begins. Almost hundred points difference between #3 and #2
 
Joe Root out of the picture not at age 29.

Will probably retire from Tests in 2-3 years
 
Joe Root out of the picture not at age 29.

Will probably retire from Tests in 2-3 years

Root is England's only consistent all-format player, along with Stokes. He has a good 5-6 years left in him.
 
He can reach #3 easily. That is where the actual difficulty begins. Almost hundred points difference between #3 and #2

The top 2 is a different league altogether. It would be even harder for Babar to remain in top 5 for long due to the amount of tests Pakistan plays, the other guys are also very consistent and it is hard to imagine the likes of Kane, Marnus and Warner being static in their positions. Babar needs a big hundred in his next match for sure.
 
Babar has to score lots of runs in next test.. because the overseas tests starts next and it’s not going to be easy to break into top 3. Well done to be ranked 5 .. but Labuschagne rise is spectacular already #3
 
Focus on winning matches not on ranking. Winning is more important than individual reaching 800 or 900 points.

Toughest challenge would be in overseas tours this year.
 
Azhar fell just short at 787 during his prime. Just wasn't consistent enough.

Asad's highest is 758. Don't see him breaching that.
Azhar's form was arguably better than Babar at the time. A double century in Australia and a triple in the same year. Shocking that he couldn't reach 800 points :13:
 
This will probably ruffle some feathers, but his Test career so far has been home track bullying.

Doubt people will take his ranking seriously unless he does something outside Pakistan. Failed even on flat Aussie decks.
 
This will probably ruffle some feathers, but his Test career so far has been home track bullying.

Doubt people will take his ranking seriously unless he does something outside Pakistan. Failed even on flat Aussie decks.

Failed?:)))
He scored a 97 and a hundred with an average of around 50.
 
Failed?:)))
He scored a 97 and a hundred with an average of around 50.

A batting average of 27 in Australia, that's failure.

Those were the same tracks where Pakistani bowlers recieved phainta of their lives. Like I said, Babar has a lot to prove away from Pakistan. Boosting stats against second string Bangladesh will get him ranking points, but not the respect other elite Test batsmen have earned over the years.
 
A batting average of 27 in Australia, that's failure.

Those were the same tracks where Pakistani bowlers recieved phainta of their lives. Like I said, Babar has a lot to prove away from Pakistan. Boosting stats against second string Bangladesh will get him ranking points, but not the respect other elite Test batsmen have earned over the years.

That was in 2016 when he failed.
In 2020 now.
 
This will probably ruffle some feathers, but his Test career so far has been home track bullying.

Doubt people will take his ranking seriously unless he does something outside Pakistan. Failed even on flat Aussie decks.

Failed? Are you serious?
 
Babar Azam has a lot to prove


His next 5 test matches in England and New Zealand will decide his worth. Virat Kohli averaged 40 in Australia in last tour, taylor and Willamson were decimated against this Auatralian attack. Scoring a hundred and 97 was a good start to his away tours overall record
 
That was in 2016 when he failed.
In 2020 now.

He averaged 50 in a series where Warner averaged almost 500 and Labuschagne averaged 173. :don:

Babar indeed has accumulated ranking points, but the way he did it has mostly been about home track bullying against second string Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Yes that earned points, but not respect. He has a lot to prove in Test format, this ranking won't last if he doesn't improve in a big way.
 
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Babar needs to score a hundred in NZ. I am desperate.for us to win there again. Love test wins in New Zealand tbe most.
 
He averaged 50 in a series where Warner averaged almost 500 and Labuschagne averaged 173. :don:

Babar indeed has accumulated ranking points, but the way he did it has mostly been about home track bullying against second string Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Yes that earned points, but not respect. He has a lot to prove in Test format, this ranking won't last if he doesn't improve in a big way.

Are you new to this game?

How are you comparing a player who’s playing at home with a player who’s playing in a country where his own side struggles massively?

What a childish post.

Go learn the game then come back here
 
Are you new to this game?

How are you comparing a player who’s playing at home with a player who’s playing in a country where his own side struggles massively?

What a childish post.

Go learn the game then come back here

Babar's Test career so far has been all about bullying second string Bangladesh and Sri Lanka at home.

His second best performance has been averaging 50 in a series where batsmen from opposition averaged 500, 175 and 100. Most elite batsmen would average twice as much in those conditions. I have nothing to prove here, all cold facts.

Congrats on his ranking, but it won't last if he doesn't step up his game outside Pakistan.
 
This will probably ruffle some feathers, but his Test career so far has been home track bullying.

Doubt people will take his ranking seriously unless he does something outside Pakistan. Failed even on flat Aussie decks.

You need to get yourself checked.
 
More than ranking it will be important how he does in the tour of England. He will need good company from others also.

Lovely batsman we have found.
 
It’s good to see a Pakistani batsman reaching Top 5 in test rankings — been a while, if my memory serves me correctly wasn’t Hafeez ranked 2 in between Kohli and Smith a few years ago ?
 
It’s good to see a Pakistani batsman reaching Top 5 in test rankings — been a while, if my memory serves me correctly wasn’t Hafeez ranked 2 in between Kohli and Smith a few years ago ?

:))

You just couldn't resist could you haha
 
He averaged 50 in a series where Warner averaged almost 500 and Labuschagne averaged 173. :don:

Babar indeed has accumulated ranking points, but the way he did it has mostly been about home track bullying against second string Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Yes that earned points, but not respect. He has a lot to prove in Test format, this ranking won't last if he doesn't improve in a big way.

Warner averages 34 in WI, 26 in Europe, and 26 in Asia. Everyone tends to bat big at home these days and struggle abroad. Let's just call it like it is.
 
Babar's Test career so far has been all about bullying second string Bangladesh and Sri Lanka at home.

His second best performance has been averaging 50 in a series where batsmen from opposition averaged 500, 175 and 100. Most elite batsmen would average twice as much in those conditions. I have nothing to prove here, all cold facts.

Congrats on his ranking, but it won't last if he doesn't step up his game outside Pakistan.

Century against NZ in UAE. 90* in Nz vs Nz. A couple of 70s in SA. My favorite innings is his 68* at lords, that was a brilliant inning, unfortunately he got injured. 100 and a 97 in Australia.

You really need to get your facts checked.
 
Century against NZ in UAE. 90* in Nz vs Nz. A couple of 70s in SA. My favorite innings is his 68* at lords, that was a brilliant inning, unfortunately he got injured. 100 and a 97 in Australia.

You really need to get your facts checked.

You can see these are not earth shattering records after playing in international team for 5 years. But he is a good player and has to prove more, and by looks of it will be a top player. Just be patient
 
At the end of the day, the ICC rankings are objective and the only method that can factually determine the best player based on the set criteria that includes everything from the SR to the strength of the opposition.

Given how poor Pakistani batsmen have been in recent times, to be the only batsman in the top 5 in each format is a great achievement by Babar Azam.

Hope he keeps improving.
 
Azhar's form was arguably better than Babar at the time. A double century in Australia and a triple in the same year. Shocking that he couldn't reach 800 points :13:

he didnt have 3 big series in a row

for eg when he reached max rating after Aus 2016 tour then his next 5 series had averages of: 43, 40, 3, 17 and 25
 
It’s good to see a Pakistani batsman reaching Top 5 in test rankings — been a while, if my memory serves me correctly wasn’t Hafeez ranked 2 in between Kohli and Smith a few years ago ?

obv on back of mega tours of England and Australia
 
Babar's Test career so far has been all about bullying second string Bangladesh and Sri Lanka at home.

His second best performance has been averaging 50 in a series where batsmen from opposition averaged 500, 175 and 100. Most elite batsmen would average twice as much in those conditions. I have nothing to prove here, all cold facts.

Congrats on his ranking, but it won't last if he doesn't step up his game outside Pakistan.

clearly you do not know how rankings work....

rankings take into account quality of opposition bowling.
 
He’s charting one of the best career trajectories. Long way to go as he is yet to prove himself in challenging conditions but I wouldn’t put it past him.
 
Babar's Test career so far has been all about bullying second string Bangladesh and Sri Lanka at home.

His second best performance has been averaging 50 in a series where batsmen from opposition averaged 500, 175 and 100. Most elite batsmen would average twice as much in those conditions. I have nothing to prove here, all cold facts.

Congrats on his ranking, but it won't last if he doesn't step up his game outside Pakistan.

The batters of other team had to do so against ... hold your breath .... the likes of Yasir Shah, Imran khan and a debutant Naseem shah ON THEIR HOME GROUND. Babar was batting against the likes of Starc, Hazelwood, Cummins etc ON THEIR HOME GROUND ... hope that makes sense.

Also the rankings take into account most of the opposition and playing conditions so a 50 against Australia in Australia would rank higher than a 50 against BD in Pakistan.
 
The batters of other team had to do so against ... hold your breath .... the likes of Yasir Shah, Imran khan and a debutant Naseem shah ON THEIR HOME GROUND. Babar was batting against the likes of Starc, Hazelwood, Cummins etc ON THEIR HOME GROUND ... hope that makes sense.

Also the rankings take into account most of the opposition and <B>playing conditions</B> so a 50 against Australia in Australia would rank higher than a 50 against BD in Pakistan.

It doesn't take playing conditions into context, only the quality of opposition.
 
Babar Azam is improving after every series, we knew he was one of the best player in the world of the off side but after the recent test he was worked really hard to improve his onside. He was playing shots that he didn't posses eariler

Crazy to see so much improvement and so much more to come
 
Babar Azam is improving after every series, we knew he was one of the best player in the world of the off side but after the recent test he was worked really hard to improve his onside. He was playing shots that he didn't posses eariler

Crazy to see so much improvement and so much more to come

He's the only Paksitani batsman in the last 10 years who's targetting greatness, not money or fame. Thus he hasn't become complacent. People praised him from the start because they can feel something's different about him. It was the same for Kohli (although Kohli is perhaps more talented).

True great players keep trying to improve until they retire.
 
This will probably ruffle some feathers, but his Test career so far has been home track bullying.

Doubt people will take his ranking seriously unless he does something outside Pakistan. Failed even on flat Aussie decks.

I shouldn't respond to a troll.

But, taking the bait anyway.

He has done much better than what Kohli used to do on away tours. His struggles in ENG are not hidden from anyone.

And Babar learned super quickly. His only away failures were in his early career.

Now dominating all the formats, be it away or home.

I understand it's hard for you to digest this, as he's doing as good as peak Kohli and much better than what Kohli was at his stage of the career.


I've had to deal with a lot of people who trash Babar Azam, including the infamous [MENTION=147314]topspin[/MENTION] who would trash Babar at every point. And claim how he's not in the top batsmen.

I think everyone has learned their lessons. But you probably won't as you're trolling.
 
Babar's Test career so far has been all about bullying second string Bangladesh and Sri Lanka at home.

His second best performance has been averaging 50 in a series where batsmen from opposition averaged 500, 175 and 100. Most elite batsmen would average twice as much in those conditions. I have nothing to prove here, all cold facts.

Congrats on his ranking, but it won't last if he doesn't step up his game outside Pakistan.

Let me tell you all what happened here. He first commented on Babar's Australia record without knowing his 2019 exploits, or somehow it escapes his memory. Then when people starts pointing out his 100 and 97, he became confused and went back to refresh his memory.

At this point, if Arya had a mature head over his shoulder, he would had apologized and move on. But being a true essence of armchair expert, he could not let go of his ego and accept his wrongs infront of everyone else, so tries to double down on his rambling.
 
I shouldn't respond to a troll.

But, taking the bait anyway.

He has done much better than what Kohli used to do on away tours. His struggles in ENG are not hidden from anyone.

And Babar learned super quickly. His only away failures were in his early career.

Now dominating all the formats, be it away or home.

I understand it's hard for you to digest this, as he's doing as good as peak Kohli and much better than what Kohli was at his stage of the career.


I've had to deal with a lot of people who trash Babar Azam, including the infamous [MENTION=147314]topspin[/MENTION] who would trash Babar at every point. And claim how he's not in the top batsmen.

I think everyone has learned their lessons. But you probably won't as you're trolling.

Before I ask you to find me a post where I said Babar is not a top batsman, can I kindly request to sort out your grammar and use of English overall before you resort to making up your usual rubbish
 
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Good going by Babar, but I'm more interested in Pakistan doing well and Babar needs support in order for them to do that. We need to start seeing others stepping up and Babar can be the inspiration for that.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Babar Azam's current rankings:<br><br>1 - T20Is<br>3 - ODIs<br>5 - Tests<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1227185608952569857?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
a big hundered in next game and that should place him where he belongs for now... No3 that is ..

if he can score a game winning 100z in NZ and Eng, will make a serious case for No2 test batsmen after Smithy....

In ODI he is going head n shoulder with the best in the game....

pak should look to have a few ODIz at home and get some cracking pitches ...

we need Abid ali and Babar Azam to lead in all 3 formats...
 
Best chance to get into the top 3 is the next test match. Could easily score a hundred in both innings
 
If he were to retire today or be forced out due to injuiry. He can be proud at his age he is ranked, 1, 2 , 5
 
He has sloted into Int cricket very comfortably. How did PCB manage this? Very strong temperament and a natural ability.
 
very true... a match winning 50 is better than a losing 100....



You and the other poster should look up the word 'Context'...in a thrtead about rankings, people talking about other stuff (which is def more important) does not make as much sense!
 
First of all it's a great achievement considering Pakistani batsmen haven't done so well recently. My thoughts on his rankings are that he is appropriately rated in ODIs but surely is not the best T20 batsman in the world. I think his ranking of 5 in tests is slightly inflated too considering current form vs good opponents but I hope he will actually get even better!

Babar ko hamari nazar na lagjaye. Long may he continue to dominate batting charts!
 
Alhamdulliah finally we have a world class batsmen in all three formats of the game. Babar Azam is a fantastic talent and has just started his career in comparison to Big four. Seeing as he is already on the level of some of these guys, who knows where he can go from here.

I'm England I reckon Babar will be able to break all charts across the board. He's had experience in 2018, and looked very good in the couple of innings he played there. Was very unfortunate to break his arm to else I think that would have been his breakthrough series. Especially seeing as he racked up nearly 500 runs this world Cup, it's a very promising time.

However, in NZ I think is the bigger challenges. In England you can get away with a sunny day or a flat deck. In NZ those types of pitches are less common. I think all Pakistani batsmen will have to play out of their skin to muster up a challenge to NZ.

In conclusion, Babar has a very promising career ahead of him as long as he stays out of dodgy agents, scandals etc
 
Could Babar Azam be the best and world NO 1 ranked test batsman after the England series?

Ben Stokes just leaped 6 positions in the ICC test batsmen rankings from 9th to 3rd and gained around 100 points. Babar Azam sits at 6th position and needs 88 points to overtake Virat and 111 to get to Smith.

Come on Babar, go get em :ba :babar :babarazam
 
Mods, I dont wanna provide an external link so if possible can you please provide an image or table of the current batting rankings and showing Stokes' jump due to his 200+ runs in the last test.
 
Mods, I dont wanna provide an external link so if possible can you please provide an image or table of the current batting rankings and showing Stokes' jump due to his 200+ runs in the last test.

Stokes jumped 101 rating points from 726 to 827 after the 2nd Test. But once a batsman nears the 900 mark, it becomes that much harder to maintain, let alone gain further points. Will be very difficult for Babar.
 
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Hopefully Babar can continue batting with the same form he had before the COVID19 outbreak.
Fingers crossed!
 
Ben Stokes just leaped 6 positions in the ICC test batsmen rankings from 9th to 3rd and gained around 100 points. Babar Azam sits at 6th position and needs 88 points to overtake Virat and 111 to get to Smith.

Come on Babar, go get em :ba :babar :babarazam

Hopefully he gets atleast 2 hundreds
 
Ben Stokes just leaped 6 positions in the ICC test batsmen rankings from 9th to 3rd and gained around 100 points. Babar Azam sits at 6th position and needs 88 points to overtake Virat and 111 to get to Smith.

Come on Babar, go get em :ba :babar :babarazam

Good chance.
 
Mods, I dont wanna provide an external link so if possible can you please provide an image or table of the current batting rankings and showing Stokes' jump due to his 200+ runs in the last test.

If he bats like he did pre Covid-19, then he has a chance, but scoring multiple tons is very difficult,
 
Babar will need to push into top 3-4 in this series if Pak has to do well. Too much expectations from a 25 year old guy who without a doubt is an exceptional and a rare talent.
 
India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has talked highly of Pakistan's limited over captain Babar Azam and expressed confidence in a very bright future of the top-order batsman.

Ashwin also recalled Babar Azam's hundred during Pakistan's tour of Australia in 2019. Babar had put on a gutsy show even though his team perished by an innings margin in the match. The Lahore-born has smashed 104 runs off 255 balls in the 2nd innings of Brisbane Test. His innings included 13 scintillating boundaries.

“I really enjoy Babar Azam’s batting. I watched the century he scored in Australia,” he was quoted as saying by ARY Sports.

“Comparisons with Virat Kohli will put pressure on him, which is unfair. Kohli is one of the finest cricketers the world has produced. I am sure Babar’s time will come too,” Ashwin added.
 
Class player, hope he delivers big and gets into that top three where he ultimately belongs.
 
Really want him to be 2nd in the rankings after this series, and that can realistically happen. He hasnt got a huge score in the warm ups which is a bit worrying, scores of 80 odd not out, 12, 58 and 32. Not bad but Pakistan need that pre covid form back and that too, desperately.
 
The upcoming series against England under the likes of Mr. Anderson, Broad Archer and co will be the toughest challenge that Barbar Azam has faced in his illustrious career till now IMO, one thing which will work against him is the gap of I dont know maybe 5 months of no international competitive cricket

This big gap might really be a very bad thing for Azam here because he was in the form of his life and now he is coming back after such a long gap and add to that if I remember correctly he played only one test inning in England in his whole career but one could also argue he has played a lot of LOI"s so he should be having some experience but IMO this Eng series will still be the toughest challenge of his test career as this England attack will be very lethal and challenging and we have seen how some of the greatest batsmen of the world tend to take their time and multiple series in their career to get used to such tough situation to bat and prove their ALL TIME worth legacy to the world

IMO this series will be going to define how Babar Azam career will shape, he is no doubt a great batsmen of this era and if he succeeds here one can see the making or say transformation from a great one to one of the ALL TIME GREATS of the world cricket of this current era

A very good opportunity for him to show his worth against the ALL TIME GREATS Broad & Anderson specifically in English conditions
 
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The upcoming series against England under the likes of Mr. Anderson, Broad Archer and co will be the toughest challenge that Barbar Azam has faced in his illustrious career till now IMO, one thing which will work against him is the gap of I dont know maybe 5 months of no international competitive cricket

This big gap might really be a very bad thing for Azam here because he was in the form of his life and now he is coming back after such a long gap and add to that if I remember correctly he played only one test inning in England in his whole career but one could also argue he has played a lot of LOI"s so he should be having some experience but IMO this Eng series will still be the toughest challenge of his test career as this England attack will be very lethal and challenging and we have seen how some of the greatest batsmen of the world tend to take their time and multiple series in their career to get used to such tough situation to bat and prove their ALL TIME worth legacy to the world

IMO this series will be going to define how Babar Azam career will shape, he is no doubt a great batsmen of this era and if he succeeds here one can see the making or say transformation from a great one to one of the ALL TIME GREATS of the world cricket of this current era

A very good opportunity for him to show his worth against the ALL TIME GREATS Broad & Anderson specifically in English conditions

May he succeed, all our prayers are with the sole reason of pride in this Pakistan side.
 
I’m trying to recall the last time a Pakistani batsman was ranked in Top 3 in ICC world test rankings - wasn’t it Hafeez after he scored that memorable 186 at Perth some years ago ? It might have been the same season where he hit that double century at Cape Town on the South African tour.. what a magnificent batsman he was in that era.


(Hang on a minute did that really happen, or are those my PlayStation cricket memories being mixed in with reality )
 
Why are we so bothered about Babar rankings? As long as he scores runs for us and wins matches his ranking is irrelevant.
 
I’m trying to recall the last time a Pakistani batsman was ranked in Top 3 in ICC world test rankings - wasn’t it Hafeez after he scored that memorable 186 at Perth some years ago ? It might have been the same season where he hit that double century at Cape Town on the South African tour.. what a magnificent batsman he was in that era.


(Hang on a minute did that really happen, or are those my PlayStation cricket memories being mixed in with reality )

😂. Probably the latter
 
Dear mods,
Some one please merge few threads on Babar into single thread like "Babar Azam- The Mega Discussion".
I couldn't find a dedicated thread on Babar to post all his updates, posting here and there.
 
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