I don't think the argument should be on Babar's stats - it's not about what he is doing, compared to what is best. Ideally, I would like my No. 3 to bat like Smith in Test, Kohli in ODI & AB in T20; but I don't think we'll ever see a batsman named AB Smith Kohli - lower chance is to find him at 22. I don't care about what combination PAK picks, because of reasons mentioning here will derail this thread; but there is a reason why the ranking in 4, 5 & 8 for 3 different formats in right order - ODI is most tactical, while T20 is most instant game. Therefore, we should judge Babar in PAK contest, not cricket contest.
Coming to combination, my ideal Test combination is 5+1+2+3 or may be as PAK uses 6+1+4 can work in Asia with 2 spinners. To start with, if I take a 5+1+2+3 combination; we'll have to see if Babar makes the team on batting merit or not. At present, Azhar is as solid as it gets as opener, his partner is a open spot. YK at 4 is still an automatic choice (let's ignore the age factor here for the sake of argument - we are not looking for future here). Asad is perfect for No. 5. So, basically 2 spots are open here - one is occupied by the 43 years old Captain, who averages below 25 in his last few Tests, other one is a opener - most recent one has just chopped own leg.
There are 3 questions hare - 1. Is Misbah good enough or willing enough to bat at 3, forcing Babar to drop out? I think, he is willing enough - once he finds that batting at 3 can keep him few more months in PAK colors, he'll agree to bat at 3 even against Lloyd's WI - not sure though if he is capable enough.
2. Can Babar open? I think, he can, but haven't done yet. Since Sharjeel is gone - it's a contest between Babar, Ahmed & Sami for the 2nd opener's job
3. Is this worthy to use Babar as make shift opener to accommodate him & Misbah in the same XI? May be, provided that he is better than Sami, Shaan or Shehzab (or a new boy). Personally, I would like a lefti to partner Azhar.
Verdict: If it's a 5 bowler strategy, Babar doesn't make the Test starting XI automatically as long as Misbah is dragging his career, but definitely has a good chance to make as opener. In a 6 batsmen strategy, he is the best available to bat at 3. which allows Misbah to bat at 5 & pick a specialist opener, preferably a lefti.
In ODI, the combination should be 4+1+3+3 - that's 4 specialist batsmen on batting merit, 2 of them are solid innings builder who can bat for long at one end with decent SR, 3 all-rounders to bat from 6 to 8 (batting, balanced & bowling all-rounders), a WK that can make the team on batting merit & 3 specialist bowlers with absolute bowling merit (still, nothing wrong in Amir & Hasan contributes with bat)
Is Babar, among top 4 PAK batsmen in ODI? If we consider players with at least 25 matches - in terms of average he is ahead of anyone with an average of 53. I think, 2nd man is Azhar (he is still not retired) at ~38 & rest are 35 or lower. In terms of SR, Babar with 90 is again ahead of 2nd man Umar marginally (who recently has lost his place for fitness) - that's excluding Sharjeel, who might not play for PAK ever again. Besides, Babar is the junior most in the team, hence there is a long career left for him. In terms of conversion (ability to play for long at one end), Babar has 4 hundreds & probably another 9 innings of 50+; that's 13 innings over 50, for a 2:1 conversion rate - that's better than Tendulkar by stats.
Verdict: After Captain Sarfraz, Babar should be the 1st name in team sheet. Obviously, he is not Steve Smith, but neither his team is Australia.
For T20, my combination is almost identical to ODI, but here I'll pick 3 hitters & 1 accumulator out of 4. First, lets try to find some role profile of 2 types of batsmen - 3 hitters, who ideally should look to bat at 125+ SR with an average around 20, at least. That's a flat rate of 20 (16) or better by 3 of 4 batsmen (not necessarily batting in top 4). While, the accumulator should look to average over 35 with a SR of at least 110. That's say a flat rate of 35 (32) every match or better. So, by maths, I am looking for 95 of 80 balls from these 4 batsmen who are there for only batting merit - if that happens every match, the all rounders & WK should be able to score 60 of other 40 balls + 5 extras (minimum) - we are looking for a score of 160+ on a standard T20 match. Obviously, teams that can do better will win more matches & teams that can't do will end up at No. 10.
Now, looking at PAK's batting resources, again excluding Sharjeel & Latif - is there 3 batsmen who are capable of ~20/125+ stats? Obvious answer is NO, particularly when Umar isn't fit & firing enough. Babar at a career stats of 50/115 or so, marginally behind in SR to play as one of the aggressors. Next, question, is there any batsman who can play the accumulator job - answer is Yes - Babar definitely & there are 2 more - Malik & Sarfu. Of the 2, statistically Malik is better for the role, but by qualifiers, he isn't good enough to play the pacers. However, he can be accommodated for the batting all-rounders' slot - so, it's a choice between Malik & MoHa, not Malik - Babar. Sarfu is another accumulator & Captain - I have kept a spot for the WK as well, because W - keeping is a core skill of the game.
Verdict: In terms of value proposition, Sharjeel or a firing Umar is more valuable in T20 than Babar, but he is the best available for the accumulator's role & now with both hitters out of the team, he actually makes the team on either merit - can play as an opener & go after the ball from ball one; that'll cost his average, but definitely he can take the SR to 125+, sacrificing his average to 40s or high 30s. He actually is doing his job perfectly as accumulator for a team that has won 8 of the 9 T20 he has played - unless that solidity at 3, some of the match results could have been different. There is a scope of improvement of-course in either role - definitely as aggressor, but within available resources; BUT, beggars are not choosers, because - still the question remains, is there anyone who can take their average to 35 to allow Babar that aggression?
Finally - is Babar Azam an automatic choice for PAK in all 3 formats? This is strictly subject to PAK team - comparing Viv or Virat's stats are not coming to much help here.
I think, in every case unconditionally he is an automatic choice, barring one - IF PAK DECIDES TO PLAY 5 SPECIALIST BATSMEN IN OUT SIDE ASIA TESTS & USE MISBAH AT 3 OR 5, BABAR WILL HAVE TO FIGHT IT OUT FOR THE 2nd OPENER's SPOT.
So, it's basically just one case, when Babar might be a question mark for an automatic spot - when Misbah is keeping him out of the No. 3 spot in an outside Asia Test with his immense batting capability against pace, bounce & movement, in a line-up that's playing 5 specialist batsmen. In rest cases, he is among the first 2/3 batsmen to be picked in the teams of any format
[MENTION=135196]waleed88[/MENTION] - what do think about my summary? Sorry for the essay, but I am not good enough to explain in tweets.
