Babar Azam receives undue criticism for being 'too slow'

[Humza_Razzaque]

I just wanted to adress the matter of Babar azam being called "TOO SLOW" OR "NOT BEING ABLE TO ACCELERATE".i have seen many members here at Pakpassion critcize him on the subject and i feel its wrong i think those who are calling him slow are just judging him based on the recently concluded Sirilankan series in which he did play slow but not because he was playing for himself but because he was being sensible since the wickets were constantly falling at the other end and another reason for his slow innings was because he was playing in UAE pitches which are terible for batsmans
All of BABARs century except the 2 in the SL series have come at a good pace
Here are his 7 centuries so far;
(1)120 VS WI SR:91.6
(2)123 VS WI SR:97.62
(3)117 VS WI SR:110.38
(4)100 VS AUS SR:91.74
(5)125*VS WI SR:94.70
(6)103VS SL SR:78.63
(7)101VS SL SR:75.94
To me the Criticism that he has been too slow seems pointless given he has played with a good SR most of these matches and the ones in which he hasent is becuase he was TRYING TO PREVENT THE BATTING LINEUP FROM COLLAPSING

 

[maxamax]

I just wanted to adress the matter of Babar azam being called "TOO SLOW" OR "NOT BEING ABLE TO ACCELERATE".i have seen many members here at Pakpassion critcize him on the subject and i feel its wrong i think those who are calling him slow are just judging him based on the recently concluded Sirilankan series in which he did play slow but not because he was playing for himself but because he was being sensible since the wickets were constantly falling at the other end and another reason for his slow innings was because he was playing in UAE pitches which are terible for batsmans
All of BABARs century except the 2 in the SL series have come at a good pace
Here are his 7 centuries so far;
(1)120 VS WI SR:91.6
(2)123 VS WI SR:97.62
(3)117 VS WI SR:110.38
(4)100 VS AUS SR:91.74
(5)125*VS WI SR:94.70
(6)103VS SL SR:78.63
(7)101VS SL SR:75.94
To me the Criticism that he has been too slow seems pointless given he has played with a good SR most of these matches and the ones in which he hasent is becuase he was TRYING TO PREVENT THE BATTING LINEUP FROM COLLAPSING

Are you from Misbah school of thoughts? Because he does play slow a bit. Having strike rate of 100 on 150 pitch shows nothing.

 

[ahmedwaqas92]

I believe we have analyzed Babar's block of runs (I think [MENTION=79064]MMHS[/MENTION] did that) to a very microscopic level & brother (as much as I hate to admit it) his intial accelaration, off the blocks i.e., is prone to being a bit sluggish.

Contrary to popular beliefs Babar actually increases his SR in the latter half of the innings & that in itself should clarify that he has the ability to accelerate, it's just that being the #3 and the backbone of the team he chooses to put a price on his wickets which is also the reason for his consistency and his ability to churn out those hundereds in varying conditions.

I accumulated two comprehensive studies on the matter, please have a look at

http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/s...-nearing-a-milestone-A-comprehensive-analysis

^^^ The above is for the topic at hand.

http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/s...zam-ODI-(Innings-by-Innings)-Batting-Analysis

^^^ This regression shows where he might be headed (predictive model).

Enjoy

 

[Humza_Razzaque]

Are you from Misbah school of thoughts? Because he does play slow a bit. Having strike rate of 100 on 150 pitch shows nothing.

I am talking about the ODI format, who plays at a SR of 150 in ODI's

 

[Humza_Razzaque]

I believe we have analyzed Babar's block of runs (I think [MENTION=79064]MMHS[/MENTION] did that) to a very microscopic level & brother (as much as I hate to admit it) his intial accelaration, off the blocks i.e., is prone to being a bit sluggish.

Contrary to popular beliefs Babar actually increases his SR in the latter half of the innings & that in itself should clarify that he has the ability to accelerate, it's just that being the #3 and the backbone of the team he chooses to put a price on his wickets which is also the reason for his consistency and his ability to churn out those hundereds in varying conditions.

I accumulated two comprehensive studies on the matter, please have a look at

http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/s...-nearing-a-milestone-A-comprehensive-analysis

^^^ The above is for the topic at hand.

http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/s...zam-ODI-(Innings-by-Innings)-Batting-Analysis

^^^ This regression shows where he might be headed (predictive model).

Enjoy

I feel he gets way too much criticism ,i believe the only thing that he is worthy being criticised for is not being able to hit those big shots when required otherwise his SR of 85 shows he does a good job as a batsman

 

[Kroll]

He plays quick enough overall, but the main issue that seems to be creeping into his game is he has started playing too conservatively recently. Before, it tended to be when nearing a milestone such as a century, then getting out after reaching it.

The Australia innings illustrate this. He definitely has the ability to play free flowing and shouldn't worry as much about conserving wicket in the process eating up too many dot balls.

 

[pkwdpassion]

It was pretty much expected the players from Pakistan team would not be remarkable in a domestic T20 tournament. But Babar Azam aka bobby has been appalling. He is zilch in T20 format. Such kind of cricket will never produce a star, or get appreciated something Pakistan team lacks even after winning Champions Trophy.

In National T20 Cup has scored 78 runs in 2 matches with an average of 39 and strike rate of 120

He is badly exposing himself and the selectors who have preferred him over local talent, not for any justified cricketing reason.
He is not even in the top 15 performers of the National T20 Cup. There are 40 odd players playing this tournament. By strike rate is on 40 or 41st position just doing better than Shadab Khan and Ahmed Shehzad [who is third last]. By batting average he is at 19th or 20th position. This is only better compared to his cousins Umar Akmal is not even in the list [batting average, strike rate,no. of sixes] after scoring 5 runs in 3 matches, Adnan Akmal has'nt got a chance to bat as he is batting at no.8, a pretty low position for a wicket keeper.

Pretty much explains he is a big zero in 2 out of the 3 formats [Tests and t20] he is being imposed on in the top 3. And in odi his selfish slow batting is'nt worth a watch either.

 

[Taaya]

It was pretty much expected the players from Pakistan team would not be remarkable in a domestic T20 tournament. But Babar Azam aka bobby has been appalling. He is zilch in T20 format. Such kind of cricket will never produce a star, or get appreciated something Pakistan team lacks even after winning Champions Trophy.

In National T20 Cup has scored 78 runs in 2 matches with an average of 39 and strike rate of 120

He is badly exposing himself and the selectors who have preferred him over local talent, not for any justified cricketing reason.
He is not even in the top 15 performers of the National T20 Cup. There are 40 odd players playing this tournament. By strike rate is on 40 or 41st position just doing better than Shadab Khan and Ahmed Shehzad [who is third last]. By batting average he is at 19th or 20th position. This is only better compared to his cousins Umar Akmal is not even in the list [batting average, strike rate,no. of sixes] after scoring 5 runs in 3 matches, Adnan Akmal has'nt got a chance to bat as he is batting at no.8, a pretty low position for a wicket keeper.

Pretty much explains he is a big zero in 2 out of the 3 formats [Tests and t20] he is being imposed on in the top 3. And in odi his selfish slow batting is'nt worth a watch either.

I really hope for your sake that you are trolling.

 

[pkwdpassion]

I really hope for your sake that you are trolling.

You can check with cricinfo it there is anyting wrong said as stats are concerned most probably they would be much worseas I did'nt count the total players in the list which would make Babar Azam look much worse as he is way down in the list.

 

[Hasan123]

For him to get to the next level he needs to make sure he doesn't play so many dot balls early in his innings. He's a brilliant batsmen but for him to get the next level people are just pointing out where he can improve.

 

[Varun]

It's a PP obsession to have batsmen batting at a breakneck speed.

Anybody who doesn't is deemed selfish and not fit to play for the team.

 

[Extra_Cover]

Firstly no one is immune to criticism in any sports or any matter of life. If a person is being criticised positively that person should accept it as a challenge and improve on his shortcoming. Yes, negative criticisms are wrong and cannot be justified.

This criticism of Babar is a positive criticism which should help Babar to improve his game more and more, he is not perfect nobody is perfect, he should focus on improving his game.

Your method of judging his "slow" batting is wrong. SRs only give you part of the overall picture, so next time you judging someone on how fast he batted please look into the overall picture. If team batting first has made 350 runs then scoring a century even at a SR of 100 is slower to the pace of the match. Therefore, although a century at SR of 100 would look good on the overall stats it would be slower considering the match. Similarly, on a dreadful pitch where team posted a score of below 200, then a century at SR of 75 would be "fast" batting.

 

[Cric1234]

It's not undue criticism if the team loses due to slow batting his hundreds against WI and SL have been match winning but it's the 2 weakest teams currently out of the top 8 and Zimbabwe recently beat SL aswell.
Against the top teams there isn't a hundred to win a match yet the 100 was in a losing cause against Aus and in the 2 series against Eng and Aus there wasn't any match winning contribution from Babar but overall he's done well so far bigger tests lie ahead and criticism will be there if he plays too slow to the teams detriment.

 

[MMHS]

He is batting perfectly - let him do it just like that. At the end of the day, he has a stats of 60/85+ (some'll say that it's loaded by WI, but he wasn't alone playing against WI & others playing SAF), for 2000+ runs - that's damn good for a side often failed to bat out 50 overs.

It's the other half of the equation that needs to be corrected. That's his batting partners - who are maintaining a nice stats for those who count it on excel. A stat of 45/75 is counter productive, 35/75 is match losing these days - simple reason is that, they are consuming lot more non productive balls of the limited number of 300. The game has changed so much in last 50 years that, direct scatter plot analysis will be misleading - any given day I'll take GG (both), Haynes for my top 3 than most of current batsmen though Gooch had a stats like 38/60, Grineedge 45/60 and Desi Haynes 40/65 or so. Similarly, at 4, Javed had a stats of 45/75 (he taxed it to 42+/70+ by the end of his career for dragging it on knees, otherwise at the end of 1992 WC, it was like 45/75), AB had a stats like 33/75 in 80s - these 2 were among top ODI players of 80s & rightly so. In that regard, on 25th March 1992, Rambo Raja had a stats like 35/70 for about 100 innings - that's like gold standard.

My general calculation for a batting effectiveness is withing 80% of top's (of the generation) 2X+Y. Here, X is average, Y is SR. So, before 1990, the best two were Viv (2 X 47 + 90 ~= 185) & Zaheer (48 X 2 + 86 ~= 182). Anyone, above 150 in that era were out standing - only handful were in that bracket - Javed 165, Greg 160, Lloyd 150+, Gower ~ 150, Martin Crowe, Grineedge ..... At present, AB has that number like 210 or so, so anyone above 175 should be very good. Kohli is at 200+, Babar 195, Smith 195+, Warner 180 or so, Amla 185+, Root 190+, Will at borderline 175 or so ...

I don't think Babar Azam is any problem to PAK side - problem is the other 5 picked around him. For 2 years, PAK had a line up of Azhar, Ahmed, MoHa, Babar, Sarfraz, Malik - which was the biggest problem. Theoretically, Babar is scoring at 50/innings for 58 balls for his stats (it's run/innings, not average). Now, let's say from 85+, he took his SR to 100+ - that's 59 of 58, or other way, 9 runs incremental. No, again put Azhar, Ahmed, Babar, MoHa, Malik, Sarfraz at 1 to 6 and add 9 runs with the total ............

In ODI, 1, at most 2 players can be slotted in that role or that type - Babar is one and he is quite good at that, other one is Captain himself and he is quite good at Captaincy as well. Among other 4, Malik is doing the job - so, there are/were 3 misfits - takeout Azhar, Imam, Ahmed, MoHa ...... and bring the batsmen in top half who would go after or go out leaving enough time to bring hitting power of Imad, Shadab, Fahim, Hasan, Amir into equation, Babar's batting won't cost much. Now, think about Misbah era and do same analysis with YK replacing Babar at 3 . People are worshiping Azhar's 59 of 71 balls, almost like Collis Kings of 1979 WC Final - which is indicative enough of what they expect from Azhar, sadly .......

Only 2 areas he need to improve is his 4th Q batting (he is over cautious there, still won't say selfish), and his spin play - short term solution for both issues can be to open with him, so that he gets the start against pacers (which he is very good at) and his Q4 (75-100) period passes around 35th - 38th overs. He bats at 85 SR, so theoretically, by 35th over he should be facing around 100-110 balls (and be on 85+) and by 38th over should reach 100 - after that he has 35 to 38 balls (half of 12 overs) to go after the bowling.

 

[Mamoon]

Ending with a good SR is not the same as pacing your innings well. Babar's SR for the first 50-60 balls is not good enough for a top class batsman. At times it is out of necessity, but it is becoming a recurring theme even on flat wickets with others around him going at a good SR.

For example, in the Australian series, Babar scored a hundred at a SR of 80+, but his SR for the first half of his innings was 65 which meant that he converted the 360 target into a 400 one. A top batsman doesn't need to play at a SR of 65 to anchor the innings, and that is the difference between a good batsman and a top batsman.

Babar needs to find a way of ensuring that his SR doesn't drop below 80 at any point, and that is how the best ODI batsmen in the world operate.

 

[Mamoon]

To add to the above post, if Babar is not going to change his approach, he will serve the team better as an opener.

 

[htariq25]

To add to the above post, if Babar is not going to change his approach, he will serve the team better as an opener.

Openers need to be more attacking as they bat in powerplay overs. Babar is perfect at 3 as he is good at taking singles and building up for the last 10 overs. He's like our joe root. I don't understand why people see him as the reason why we don't get higher than 300 on a regular basis when we have no power hitters down the order. His job is to simply accumulate runs while it's the job of the likes of faheem and another power hitter to get at least 100 runs in the last 10 overs. That is the modern game.
If babar opens then our middle order will become fragile whereas if we have 2 attacking openers who try to build early momentum then it not only makes babars job easy but the rest of the batting order. If babar opens then his slow starts will bring too much pressure on middle order.

 

[htariq25]

Ending with a good SR is not the same as pacing your innings well. Babar's SR for the first 50-60 balls is not good enough for a top class batsman. At times it is out of necessity, but it is becoming a recurring theme even on flat wickets with others around him going at a good SR.

For example, in the Australian series, Babar scored a hundred at a SR of 80+, but his SR for the first half of his innings was 65 which meant that he converted the 360 target into a 400 one. A top batsman doesn't need to play at a SR of 65 to anchor the innings, and that is the difference between a good batsman and a top batsman.

Babar needs to find a way of ensuring that his SR doesn't drop below 80 at any point, and that is how the best ODI batsmen in the world operate.

Agree with this.

 

[Mamoon]

Openers need to be more attacking as they bat in powerplay overs. Babar is perfect at 3 as he is good at taking singles and building up for the last 10 overs. He's like our joe root. I don't understand why people see him as the reason why we don't get higher than 300 on a regular basis when we have no power hitters down the order. His job is to simply accumulate runs while it's the job of the likes of faheem and another power hitter to get at least 100 runs in the last 10 overs. That is the modern game.
If babar opens then our middle order will become fragile whereas if we have 2 attacking openers who try to build early momentum then it not only makes babars job easy but the rest of the batting order. If babar opens then his slow starts will bring too much pressure on middle order.

I don't mind an opener who can bat through the innings at a decent SR. It is something that Azhar and Shehzad have tried to do but failed due to different reasons. At number 3, I would prefer someone like Haris, and moving Babar one position up would allow someone like Amin or Talat to slot in the middle-order.

 

[babajee]

I don't mind an opener who can bat through the innings at a decent SR. It is something that Azhar and Shehzad have tried to do but failed due to different reasons. At number 3, I would prefer someone like Haris, and moving Babar one position up would allow someone like Amin or Talat to slot in the middle-order.

Wouldn’t you rather have Amin open like he’s been doing in domestics?

Fakhar
Amin
Babar
Haris

 

[Mamoon]

Wouldn’t you rather have Amin open like he’s been doing in domestics?

Fakhar
Amin
Babar
Haris

I don't think he can survive against quality new ball bowlers like Babar can. Amin can slot in at number 4, or maybe even number 6 with Specialist Captain moving to number 4.

He can't do a worse job at number 6 than the Specialist Captain, whose game is well suited to number 4.

 

[Ab Fan]

Criticism is a part of the game. Everyone receives that.

For Babar to become one of the top batsmen in the world, he has to win home matches/ series against the likes of Australia, SA, Eng and NZ. This is where it all starts.

 

[hafizexpress]

I don't mind an opener who can bat through the innings at a decent SR. It is something that Azhar and Shehzad have tried to do but failed due to different reasons. At number 3, I would prefer someone like Haris, and moving Babar one position up would allow someone like Amin or Talat to slot in the middle-order.

This is actually a very good idea worth a shot

 

[msb314]

I don't think he can survive against quality new ball bowlers like Babar can. Amin can slot in at number 4, or maybe even number 6 with Specialist Captain moving to number 4.

He can't do a worse job at number 6 than the Specialist Captain, whose game is well suited to number 4.

Please no more Amin - he is the very definition of a TTF

I would only support Babar opening if Saud Shakeel or Usman salahuddin are given a fair and proper chance at no. 4.

Hafeez needs to go now...

 

[Mamoon]

Please no more Amin - he is the very definition of a TTF

I would only support Babar opening if Saud Shakeel or Usman salahuddin are given a fair and proper chance at no. 4.

Hafeez needs to go now...

Usman is a not a Limited Overs option.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Thankless logun sai aur kia expect krtay ho OP. Few of them are self hating Pakistanis. Kabhi na khush honay wali qoum. Same people laughed in the thread 'Hasan Ali is the best odi bowler in world' in June but to their embarrassment he got it even in the rankings just in few months.

Watching cricket since 1996 and name me 3 young batsmen who had a better start than Babar in odis at the same age. Babar has just played 30 odd matches and they expect him to be Amla, Kohli, AB, Sharma all in 1

 

[babajee]

Please no more Amin - he is the very definition of a TTF

I would only support Babar opening if Saud Shakeel or Usman salahuddin are given a fair and proper chance at no. 4.

Hafeez needs to go now...

Those 2 aren’t even in the picture at the moment.

It’s between Umar Amin / Sahibzada Farhan for the opening slot

Haris will slot right in at #4 once the Professor is gone

 

[msb314]

Usman is a not a Limited Overs option.

Why not?

 

[Mamoon]

Why not?

He is too slow. Straight from the Shafiq, Azhar school of batting. Purely a Test option.

 

[msb314]

He is too slow. Straight from the Shafiq, Azhar school of batting. Purely a Test option.

Umar Amin SR is 69.3 in ODI’s - why should he be given any sort of opportunity whatsoever?

 

[Hasan123]

Umar Amin SR is 69.3 in ODI’s - why should he be given any sort of opportunity whatsoever?

Because Umar Amin can play 360 degrees versus pace and spin. Whilst usman is grinder and is not suited to LO. His core strength is grinding and being patient which aren't suited to LO cricket.

 

[Mamoon]

Umar Amin SR is 69.3 in ODI’s - why should he be given any sort of opportunity whatsoever?

Amin bats at a good rate in Limited Overs. Even in the recent T20I outing, he looked good. He has never had a good run in ODIs and he certainly didn't look ready at that time.

However, he seems to have improved and matured as a batsman in the last couple of seasons. I am still skeptical about his mentality, but he is worth a shot. If he still doesn't deliver, it will be pretty clear that he is not cut for international cricket.

 

[kingusama92]

Averaging almost 60 at 85 SR and people criticize him.



PAK fans are ridiculous.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Averaging almost 60 at 85 SR and people criticize him.



PAK fans are ridiculous.

Listening to Sarfraz, Mickey and Babar recently its clear the management have told him that his role is now different thats why a drop in SR.

Anyways he is doing a fine job for the team as of now and the criticism is unwarranted.

 

[Mamoon]

Averaging almost 60 at 85 SR and people criticize him.



PAK fans are ridiculous.

I don't think it is criticism; it is simply highlighting areas he can improve on, in order to take his game to the next level and become a finished article.

Right now he is an excellent ODI batsman, but he can become a phenomenal one if learns to pace his innings better in the first half of his innings.

 

[Mamoon]

Listening to Sarfraz, Mickey and Babar recently its clear the management have told him that his role is now different thats why a drop in SR.

Anyways he is doing a fine job for the team as of now and the criticism is unwarranted.

He is doing a fine job but he can do this job better. There is room for improvement.

 

[kingusama92]

I don't think it is criticism; it is simply highlighting areas he can improve on, in order to take his game to the next level and become a finished article.

Right now he is an excellent ODI batsman, but he can become a phenomenal one if learns to pace his innings better in the first half of his innings.

58 AVG at 85 SR is a phenomenal ODI batsman.

Not an excellent one.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

He is doing a fine job but he can do this job better. There is room for improvement.

Bro shouldn't we give him some time? I think having expectations as similar to Kohli or AB is too much at this stage of his career. With time he will know his areas to improve his strike rotation and odd boundries at the start of innings too.

And I fully believe once he has a stable partner like Haris we will see a more fluent Babar. Right now in his mind I think he also knows that after him Pakistan have no reliable batsmen. Too much burden on young shoulders.

 

[babajee]

I don't think it is criticism; it is simply highlighting areas he can improve on, in order to take his game to the next level and become a finished article.

Right now he is an excellent ODI batsman, but he can become a phenomenal one if learns to pace his innings better in the first half of his innings.

I’ve always wondered why you think our batting lineup is so mediocre?

It’s one of the deepest lineups in ODIs at the moment apart from England’s

It contains a world class batsman in Babar Azam.

Yes there are improvements to be made, most importantly swapping Hafeez out for Haris. Also there’s a question mark over an opener.

What’s the problem if Haris is at #4 and we find a good opener?

 

[Mamoon]

58 AVG at 85 SR is a phenomenal ODI batsman.

Not an excellent one.

Pacing the innings is as important as the ending SR. He doesn't pace the innings like a world class batsman, because his SR for his first 50-60 balls is very low. At times it is necessary, but it has become a recurring theme especially when he gets bogged down by the spinners.

I would personally put him in the excellent ODI batsmen category for now. Obviously he is not going to become a Kohli, but he can do better. Speaking of stats, an average of 50 at a SR of 90+ would help the team more than an average of 58 at a SR of 85.

 

[The_Odd_One]

He needs to hit the gym and build some muscle. That will improve his hitting ability.

 

[msb314]

I don't think it is criticism; it is simply highlighting areas he can improve on, in order to take his game to the next level and become a finished article.

Right now he is an excellent ODI batsman, but he can become a phenomenal one if learns to pace his innings better in the first half of his innings.

This - I agree!

He just needs to attack a bit more early on in the innings. He should just not be afraid to go over the top once in a while.

 

[msb314]

Because Umar Amin can play 360 degrees versus pace and spin. Whilst usman is grinder and is not suited to LO. His core strength is grinding and being patient which aren't suited to LO cricket.

I have heard a lot about his prowess with the bat in domestic cricket but never saw any of that translated into international cricket.

In fact - I don't think he has a single half century in international cricket Statistically he is worse than Shafiq in ODi's.....

Maybe he deserves one final chance but I am not hopeful.

 

[msb314]

He is too slow. Straight from the Shafiq, Azhar school of batting. Purely a Test option.

Because Umar Amin can play 360 degrees versus pace and spin. Whilst usman is grinder and is not suited to LO. His core strength is grinding and being patient which aren't suited to LO cricket.

Also - whilst Usman may have a reputation as being a grinder from domestic cricket, he deserves a fair opportunity in ODI's before any sort of judgement should be made.

 

[Hasan123]

I have heard a lot about his prowess with the bat in domestic cricket but never saw any of that translated into international cricket.

In fact - I don't think he has a single half century in international cricket Statistically he is worse than Shafiq in ODi's.....

Maybe he deserves one final chance but I am not hopeful.

He never got a run of games in a fixed position, that didn't help him at all. He's gone away and scored runs at domestic level so he deserves a chance.

There aren't many players in Pakistan who can bit both sides of the wicket versus pace and spin, also he is a good fielder and is very fit. I'll definitely give him another chance.

 

[Hasan123]

Also - whilst Usman may have a reputation as being a grinder from domestic cricket, he deserves a fair opportunity in ODI's before any sort of judgement should be made.

There are better opitions for LO cricket. Usman best chance to play for Pakistan is in test cricket.

 

[kingusama92]

Pacing the innings is as important as the ending SR. He doesn't pace the innings like a world class batsman, because his SR for his first 50-60 balls is very low. At times it is necessary, but it has become a recurring theme especially when he gets bogged down by the spinners.

I would personally put him in the excellent ODI batsmen category for now. Obviously he is not going to become a Kohli, but he can do better. Speaking of stats, an average of 50 at a SR of 90+ would help the team more than an average of 58 at a SR of 85.

I think the criticism is fair if his average starts dropping.

With an average of 58, you can easily build the batting order around him using strong hitters/aggressive batsmen.

 

[Mamoon]

I’ve always wondered why you think our batting lineup is so mediocre?

It’s one of the deepest lineups in ODIs at the moment apart from England’s

It contains a world class batsman in Babar Azam.

Yes there are improvements to be made, most importantly swapping Hafeez out for Haris. Also there’s a question mark over an opener.

What’s the problem if Haris is at #4 and we find a good opener?

Deep lineup doesn't mean much when it doesn't have enough quality. Also, it is also relative, i.e. you have to compare the batting lineup to that of your opposition.

Babar is a world class ODI batsman but he is not a very influential player because he is an anchor. You can build your batting around him, but he is not going to hurt you when he is at the crease. You can negate him and target the others.

Our openers are not close to the standards of the other teams. Fakhar has done well but he has a long way to go and needs to prove that the Champions Trophy was not a fluke performance.

In addition, we still don't have a reliable hitter down the order. Malik has been very prolific but he has limitations against fast bowling. In the last 2 years, he has played teams like England and Australia roughly 15-20 times, and he has performed in 2-3 games only.

He will also score enough runs against SL, WI, Bangladesh etc., but he won't have the same impact against pace-heavy teams like Australia, England, South Africa, New zealand etc.

Also, Sarfraz is useless unless he bats at number 4. Haris replacing Hafeez will improve the lineup somewhat, but it will still be a long way behind the top teams.

Our batting is undoubtedly very mediocre, regardless of how many runs Babar is piling up.

 

[Sarfarazian92]

Babar is yet to play a match-winning knock against Eng, Aus, Ind, NZ, SA. Even Hafeez is a champion at playing big knocks vs lanka and windies. Please note that I'm not comparing Babar with Hafeez.

His hundred against Australia was as useless as they come. This criticism will automatically stop (or at least reduce) when he plays at a good SR against top teams.

 

[babajee]

Babar is yet to play a match-winning knock against Eng, Aus, Ind, NZ, SA. Even Hafeez is a champion at playing big knocks vs lanka and windies. Please note that I'm not comparing Babar with Hafeez.

His hundred against Australia was as useless as they come. This criticism will automatically stop (or at least reduce) when he plays at a good SR against top teams.

If the rain hadn’t come in the SA game in CT, Babar was well set to play a match winning innings.

And we will see in January what he does against NZ

 

[Sarfarazian92]

If the rain hadn’t come in the SA game in CT, Babar was well set to play a match winning innings.

And we will see in January what he does against NZ

Looking forward to the NZ series as well. I'd be more than happy to be proven wrong.

 

[Dingolfy]

He needs to hit the gym and build some muscle. That will improve his hitting ability.

How much muscle did Sehwag,90's Sachin and even Gilchrist had?

 

[Arham Nawaz]

Ending with a good SR is not the same as pacing your innings well. Babar's SR for the first 50-60 balls is not good enough for a top class batsman. At times it is out of necessity, but it is becoming a recurring theme even on flat wickets with others around him going at a good SR.

For example, in the Australian series, Babar scored a hundred at a SR of 80+, but his SR for the first half of his innings was 65 which meant that he converted the 360 target into a 400 one. A top batsman doesn't need to play at a SR of 65 to anchor the innings, and that is the difference between a good batsman and a top batsman.

Babar needs to find a way of ensuring that his SR doesn't drop below 80 at any point, and that is how the best ODI batsmen in the world operate.

in Australia,baber got his hundred at the strike rate of 91.7 and i think you didn't bother to look at the scorecard not even a single batsman from the middle order scored a fifty.... you expect from a single batsman to chase the target of 370?

 

[hadi123]

Flat pitch and he's slowing down as he approaches his century

 

[Farhan93]

Flat pitch and he's slowing down as he approaches his century

hes greatest batsman Pakistan has ever produced, hacks like Fakhar and Sharjeel should learn something from him ...

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

I'm a fan of Babar, and have been criticised for describing him as world class, but there's no doubt he bats selfishly. It's fine to bat a run a ball for the first 30 overs, but after that you have to put the gas on, and this is a big failing of his. He doesn't do it.

 

[OmaIR1]

Even Nasser Hussain was criticizing him over his dot balls.

He doesn't need to hit 4s and 6s, all he needs to do is avoid playing dots. Rotate the strike and his SR will automatically jump by at least 10%.

He is too slow compared to other international level greats. As an example Kohli can change gears any time AND he has the abililty to constantly rotate strike to keep the score ticking. If Babar wants to be Kohli level good then he's going to have to add a dimension to his batting otherwise he will only be a good batsman but never great.

 

[UP]

The King of Softy. Because of his pathetic approach near his 100 - we are well 30-50 short.

The guy makes the most impactless 50s/100s. He has yet to play a match winning innings in his 4 year career so far.

 

[OmaIR1]

The King of Softy. Because of his pathetic approach near his 100 - we are well 30-50 short.

The guy makes the most impactless 50s/100s. He has yet to play a match winning innings in his 4 year career so far.

THIS.

He lacks the X factor and is one dimensional. He's never going to win you a game through his batting, he has only proved to be a good batsman but will always needs that support around him to get the team over the line. This is what separates one from being a great in the game.

Azhar Ali is an example of a good batsman but he never had the X factor or ability to change gears. If he stuck around the ODI team he would always just be a good batsman. Inzamam or Saeed Anwar for example were great players because of their ability to be dynamic and chnage the game.

 

[Farhan93]

THIS.

He lacks the X factor and is one dimensional. He's never going to win you a game through his batting, he has only proved to be a good batsman but will always needs that support around him to get the team over the line. This is what separates one from being a great in the game.

Azhar Ali is an example of a good batsman but he never had the X factor or ability to change gears. If he stuck around the ODI team he would always just be a good batsman. Inzamam or Saeed Anwar for example were great players because of their ability to be dynamic and chnage the game.

This is what people need to see and understand, great post

 

[The Viper]

I thought he was playing very well but from 80-100 he slowed down and put pressure on others. Glad to see him get a ton but he needs to rotate the strike more if not hitting boundaries.

 

[Farhan93]

I thought he was playing very well but from 80-100 he slowed down and put pressure on others. Glad to see him get a ton but he needs to rotate the strike more if not hitting boundaries.

His strike rate was poor even before that considering he was batting at Trent bridge and not on Dubai's sluggish pitch

 

[Shafi]

Any top 5 team would have kicked players like Babar long ago

 

[Shafi]

Unfortunately his batting style suit for 90s not 2018. I liked him a lot but he is not any better than Azhar Ali. With players like him we can only win against Zimbabwe C team or WI B team. Even Afghanistan has more dynamic batsmen than him. In modern day cricket selfish batsmen is burden to the team. If he doesn’t improve fast then we may look for other alternative before next World Cup

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Any top 5 team would have kicked players like Babar long ago

Pakistan isn't a top 5 team. I'm sure if they had hard hitting batsmen with a full range of shots and good judgement they would pick those instead.

 

[leg-side-flick]

Any top 5 team would have kicked players like Babar long ago

No, India would have loved to have him at No. 4

 

[Farhan93]

Pakistan isn't a top 5 team. I'm sure if they had hard hitting batsmen with a full range of shots and good judgement they would pick those instead.

Its not all about hitting the ball out of the park, it's about playing according to the conditions .if conditions demand you to bat with 100+ SR but you continue to play with 90 for your average then it's criminal and hurt the team. That's what babar and Imam do, and we do have better players in Pakistan who can do a much better job it's all about giving them chances and fair chance.

You are showing the trust in selection as if there is no dishonesty even you know inside our selection is worst in the world and our selector is one corrupt ,dishonest individual.
Imam and babar can't be in the side on merit

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

Babar lacks impact, as of now he looks like a replica of Amla in ODIs.

 

[Mean&Green]

Babar lacks impact, as of now he looks like a replica of Amla in ODIs.

Do you think he would have made it to the Indian team if he played in India ?

 

[Kroll]

The continued deliberate slowing down for century is galling for fans. Not only is it selfish but depriving the team of valuable runs.

Babar has immense ability but needs to buck up his ideas. He can become a Pak ATG but needs to lead from the front.

 

[jusarrived]

Poor mans Rohit Sharma , impact less and selfish ..just without Sharma’s useless six hitting ability. These two singlehandedly can cost match for their respective teams

 

[jusarrived]

Do you think he would have made it to the Indian team if he played in India ?

Under Virat definitely, cos he’s as clueless as a captain can get .look at India’s batting , easily the weakest we have had in 20 years , thanks to this genius

 

[saeedhk]

He slows down when he nears his hundred which sucks out all the momentum of the innings and proves to be very detrimental to Pakistan’s chances of winning.

I do not see him letting go of this habit. He is more interested in personal milestones than actually winning matches for his team.