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Babar Azam vs Ahmed Shehzad : The difference couldn't be any plainer!

MenInG

MenInG

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Brilliant statistics in ODIs for Babar Azam:<br>6 100s<br>6 50s<br>Average of 55.64<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PAKvSL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PAKvSL</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/918885775571324934?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

So basically

Babar Azam 6 ODI 100s in 32 matches. Ahmed Shehzad 6 ODIs 100s in 80 matches.

QED.
 
Shahid Afridi 6 ODIs also in 364 ODI innings.
 
And this is Ahmed Shehzad after his duck today

22426204_1822714534468537_7598129971836762129_o.jpg
 
This thread is an insult to Babar.
 
I watched Ahmed's long innings today (It's actually longest in one qualifier) - the guy's main problem (& I am surprised no one helping him - may be he isn't a good listener either) is his placement. Today, he could have been on 10 by the 12th ball & he won't have required to play that desperate shot. To add to his trouble, he times it so well that it reaches fielders like a trace of bullet - can't even steal a single.

Unless he improves placement, I am afraid he'll be a liability when 9 fielders are in - this is main reason why he is such a slow starter, despite having every shots in book. On top of that, guy is selfish and he won't risk lofting it over inner cordon - basically limiting himself & risking his spot.
 
MMHS said:
I watched Ahmed's long innings today (It's actually longest in one qualifier) - the guy's main problem (& I am surprised no one helping him - may be he isn't a good listener either) is his placement. Today, he could have been on 10 by the 12th ball & he won't have required to play that desperate shot. To add to his trouble, he times it so well that it reaches fielders like a trace of bullet - can't even steal a single.

Unless he improves placement, I am afraid he'll be a liability when 9 fielders are in - this is main reason why he is such a slow starter, despite having every shots in book. On top of that, guy is selfish and he won't risk lofting it over inner cordon - basically limiting himself & risking his spot.
Click to expand...

I had the exact same thoughts today, and placement is a game of inches or perhaps even less. The arc of his downswing won't change by more than a degree or two, but it will reduce his dot ball rate by 30-40%. Then I wondered if Grant Flower will have a job appraisal any time soon.
 
MMHS said:
I watched Ahmed's long innings today (It's actually longest in one qualifier) - the guy's main problem (& I am surprised no one helping him - may be he isn't a good listener either) is his placement. Today, he could have been on 10 by the 12th ball & he won't have required to play that desperate shot. To add to his trouble, he times it so well that it reaches fielders like a trace of bullet - can't even steal a single.

Unless he improves placement, I am afraid he'll be a liability when 9 fielders are in - this is main reason why he is such a slow starter, despite having every shots in book. On top of that, guy is selfish and he won't risk lofting it over inner cordon - basically limiting himself & risking his spot.
Click to expand...

He does not. He can only play shots against trundlers or below average bowlers. Quality bowlers drag him outside of his comfort zone and he's forced into a shell which he tries to break with clear the leg wild slog.

He's a product of the bowling machine. There are a few shots that he's practiced repetitively in the nets on a true pitch: cover drive on a half-volley, softly timed square cut and flick off the legs. These he can play against against mediocre bowlers which has led people to believe he's some gifted strokemaker, he's not. Everything other shot he plays is forced. Against average trundlers he can manage to fool people but against 140k bowlers that have control over their line and length, he's a walking wicket. If the ball starts moving, he looks more helpless than a fawn learning to walk.

Reason why he continues to hit the fielders even against mediocre bowlers because that's his range and instinct built over the years in the nets. Unfortunately it is impossible to replicate net conditions in the middle which is what Shehzad needs to succeed. Altering his shot to pierce the gap would be going outside his comfort zone and instinct, he'd edge the very next ball or get cleaned through the gate. It's silly to think that in all these years he hasn't practiced piercing gaps. It is not within his capabilities hence why he continues to rely on what works. On many occasions he's tried to break that barrier and the result was always the same, a walk back to the pavilion shaking his head.

He doesn't have enough natural ability to be a hand-eye specialist nor does he have the technique or skill of a genuine strokemaker. He's merely a poorly engineered product with a few superficial qualities which unfortunately has lead many to misjudge the product's actual worth.
 
Can someone explain to me on what basis is Shehzad in the side? Do we need have another opener waiting for a chance? (Except Butt-hopefullly he never comes back).
 
MenInG said:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Brilliant statistics in ODIs for Babar Azam:<br>6 100s<br>6 50s<br>Average of 55.64<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PAKvSL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PAKvSL</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/918885775571324934?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

So basically

Babar Azam 6 ODI 100s in 32 matches. Ahmed Shehzad 6 ODIs 100s in 80 matches.

QED.
Click to expand...

Please have patience with youngsters like shehzad.....
 
Chief Destroyer said:
He does not. He can only play shots against trundlers or below average bowlers. Quality bowlers drag him outside of his comfort zone and he's forced into a shell which he tries to break with clear the leg wild slog.

He's a product of the bowling machine. There are a few shots that he's practiced repetitively in the nets on a true pitch: cover drive on a half-volley, softly timed square cut and flick off the legs. These he can play against against mediocre bowlers which has led people to believe he's some gifted strokemaker, he's not. Everything other shot he plays is forced. Against average trundlers he can manage to fool people but against 140k bowlers that have control over their line and length, he's a walking wicket. If the ball starts moving, he looks more helpless than a fawn learning to walk.

Reason why he continues to hit the fielders even against mediocre bowlers because that's his range and instinct built over the years in the nets. Unfortunately it is impossible to replicate net conditions in the middle which is what Shehzad needs to succeed. Altering his shot to pierce the gap would be going outside his comfort zone and instinct, he'd edge the very next ball or get cleaned through the gate. It's silly to think that in all these years he hasn't practiced piercing gaps. It is not within his capabilities hence why he continues to rely on what works. On many occasions he's tried to break that barrier and the result was always the same, a walk back to the pavilion shaking his head.

He doesn't have enough natural ability to be a hand-eye specialist nor does he have the technique or skill of a genuine strokemaker. He's merely a poorly engineered product with a few superficial qualities which unfortunately has lead many to misjudge the product's actual worth.
Click to expand...

Perfect summery. Also, the guy is selfish, therefore he doesn't go arial either. However, this SRL attack is not even 130KM attack, which he should be able to manage.
 
Mamoon said:
I had the exact same thoughts today, and placement is a game of inches or perhaps even less. The arc of his downswing won't change by more than a degree or two, but it will reduce his dot ball rate by 30-40%. Then I wondered if Grant Flower will have a job appraisal any time soon.
Click to expand...

He didn't improve his game at all. I saw him in 2008 probably for some A tour - he has declined since. Grant can help him, if he has listening habit .....
 
He will NEVER learn and he keeps getting chances after performing in Pakistan cup or PSL but in international this is all you will get from him. Just drop this guy permanently and end the torture for Pakistan.
 
Lol I didn't watch the game today just the scorecard, thought this was about how his slow hundred was like one of Shehzad's hundreds.
 
The justification for Babar Azam fans is, hey atleast he is better than Shehzad.
 
Chief Destroyer said:
He does not. He can only play shots against trundlers or below average bowlers. Quality bowlers drag him outside of his comfort zone and he's forced into a shell which he tries to break with clear the leg wild slog.

He's a product of the bowling machine. There are a few shots that he's practiced repetitively in the nets on a true pitch: cover drive on a half-volley, softly timed square cut and flick off the legs. These he can play against against mediocre bowlers which has led people to believe he's some gifted strokemaker, he's not. Everything other shot he plays is forced. Against average trundlers he can manage to fool people but against 140k bowlers that have control over their line and length, he's a walking wicket. If the ball starts moving, he looks more helpless than a fawn learning to walk.

Reason why he continues to hit the fielders even against mediocre bowlers because that's his range and instinct built over the years in the nets. Unfortunately it is impossible to replicate net conditions in the middle which is what Shehzad needs to succeed. Altering his shot to pierce the gap would be going outside his comfort zone and instinct, he'd edge the very next ball or get cleaned through the gate. It's silly to think that in all these years he hasn't practiced piercing gaps. It is not within his capabilities hence why he continues to rely on what works. On many occasions he's tried to break that barrier and the result was always the same, a walk back to the pavilion shaking his head.

He doesn't have enough natural ability to be a hand-eye specialist nor does he have the technique or skill of a genuine strokemaker. He's merely a poorly engineered product with a few superficial qualities which unfortunately has lead many to misjudge the product's actual worth.
Click to expand...

Great post.. sums up very well
 
Mamoon said:
I had the exact same thoughts today, and placement is a game of inches or perhaps even less. The arc of his downswing won't change by more than a degree or two, but it will reduce his dot ball rate by 30-40%. Then I wondered if Grant Flower will have a job appraisal any time soon.
Click to expand...

Flower can tell him all he can but only Shehzad can execute hisshots ; cricket 101
 
Perhaps Shehzad is a victim of psychology. He is concentrating so hard on the field setting and where the players are and where he doesn't want his shots to go that ironically he ends up hitting straight to them. Instead of eyeing the fielders he should be concentrating on the gaps and keeping his eyes on them and the subconscious mind will follow.

It's just like when first learning to drive a car you are told to keep your eyes on the middle of the road in all events. Where you look their the mind follows. A lot of newbies who have trouble with driving do the opposite they concentrate too hard at the wall coming towards them that they end up driving the car into the wall.

I wouldnt be surprised if the same thing is happening here.
 
backfootpunch said:
[MENTION=135038]Major[/MENTION] can you help me out on this one?
Click to expand...

And he averages more than 90% of the Pakistani batsman to have played over 100 matches. Ironic, isn't it? Makes you think; what would have been the case had he found suitable and capable partners? Easily one of the greatest tragedies in Pakistan cricket.

Became a regular after his peak, because of nepotism and got the most runs in spite of that.
 
If one wants to compare their 100s, need to look into the strike rate, the opposition, amount of scoring shots played. How many dot balls both faced. How selfishly they pursued a 50 or a 100, and how many balls they wasted or put pressure on their batting partner.

In my opinion there is no difference between the 2 when it comes to selfishness, Babar Azam is way ahead in that too.
 
MenInG said:
Flower can tell him all he can but only Shehzad can execute hisshots ; cricket 101
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, the harsh reality of the coaching business is that you are only judged and evaluated by the performance of the players/team, even though you do not have direct control over what happens on the pitch.

Both Grant and Mickey are going to be judged by the performance of the players and not their coaching methods and what they tell the players in the nets.
 
Mamoon said:
Unfortunately, the harsh reality of the coaching business is that you are only judged and evaluated by the performance of the players/team, even though you do not have direct control over what happens on the pitch.

Both Grant and Mickey are going to be judged by the performance of the players and not their coaching methods and what they tell the players in the nets.
Click to expand...

Well its upto us intelligent fans to see the wood for the trees.
 
Being an accumulator is not a bad thing if you are incredibly consistent. Babar can do it better than both Azhar and Shehzad so he should open in ODIs.
 
MenInG said:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Brilliant statistics in ODIs for Babar Azam:<br>6 100s<br>6 50s<br>Average of 55.64<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PAKvSL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PAKvSL</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/918885775571324934?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

So basically

Babar Azam 6 ODI 100s in 32 matches. Ahmed Shehzad 6 ODIs 100s in 80 matches.

QED.
Click to expand...

It’s a sin to compare Babar to any other Pakistani batsman , Pakistan is lucky to have Babar and Haris in current setup..
Shehzad has serious issues that he needs to work on but he will perform in some matches to regain the place.. his international mental block and lack of abilities are the reasons of his poor performance!! Please don’t blame hitting on the head for his poor performance!!
 
MenInG said:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Brilliant statistics in ODIs for Babar Azam:<br>6 100s<br>6 50s<br>Average of 55.64<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PAKvSL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PAKvSL</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/918885775571324934?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

So basically

Babar Azam 6 ODI 100s in 32 matches. Ahmed Shehzad 6 ODIs 100s in 80 matches.

QED.
Click to expand...

They both eat up dot balls like its going out of fashion and struggle rotate the strike and score at a snails pace.

Pretty similar in batting molds. Shezhad is a waste of talent and babar is not fulfilling his at moment to 100%
 
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