I think today's innings closes the book on Babar being part a "fab five". After his 100 against SA one would have thought it would free him up as a player and allow for him to become more confident in his ability to chase and be a dominant player. However today he showed that he is a weak minded individual who cannot adopt his game against a third tier substandard bowling line up on a slow pitch. Disappointing but not surprising
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Babar Azam's problem with power hitting
- Thread starter TheNightWatchman
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TheNightWatchman
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Exactly. It's mindset. He refuses to change his mindset. He only plays to his comforts and doesn't know how to adapt to the situation. Sure he'll come in at a relatively easy situation, first innings, no scoreboard pressure, maybe 1 wicket down and he'll play his shots and look easy on the eyes-which in all fairness he does.
But when the chips are down, 3-4 wickets down, a high RRR, bowlers applying good pressure he'll bottle it more often than not.
I promised myself no more Kohli comparisons but since they're only natural considering he's above him in both T20 and ODI rankings here's the difference between the 2.
If it was Babar facing the fiery Amir spell in that 2016 T20 instead of Kohli, he would have gotten out to him and Babar's team would have lost the match.
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One of the problems with the Harare ground seems to be long boundaries and Pakistan players perished trying to hit big shots. Babar will also find it tough to play big shots so hopefully he will go back to proper cricketing shots for tomorrow.
TheNightWatchman
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Gets out trying to clear the boundary. SR of 113. Finding gaps is Babar's strength indeed but sometimes bowlers are going to bowl tight lines, or the field placements are going to make it difficult. He needs to work on this part of his batting. Needs better timing when slogging/going over the top and definitely needs more power. He has a small frame and will need to bulk up more.
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Big six to get him his T20I 50!
Needs to improve on those big shots now.
Needs to improve on those big shots now.
Babar and Rizwan batting is just fine it's just that they go for big ones on merit of the bowl. Being two of 2.5 (Fakhar being the 0.5) batsmen in the entire team they cannot be going for big hits as frequently as someone like Roy would for England loaded with decent batsmen in the line up.
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Babar Azam out for 65 (45) in Central Punjab's game against Balochistan
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Babar just lacks the power to clear the inner circle 
️ never mind the boundary he will coat Pakistan big time in the upcoming t20 World Cup in Australia where you need brute force..
I have never seen this guy win Pakistan a game when chasing a big total hence why he will never be even half the player kohli ever was… kohli won many a match whilst chasing big totals that’s why he is the GOAT.
He’s even told sharjeel to play slow like him, he’s a good player just not a opener where u need to utilise the first 6 overs soo frustrating to watch him bat at times
️ never mind the boundary he will coat Pakistan big time in the upcoming t20 World Cup in Australia where you need brute force..I have never seen this guy win Pakistan a game when chasing a big total hence why he will never be even half the player kohli ever was… kohli won many a match whilst chasing big totals that’s why he is the GOAT.
He’s even told sharjeel to play slow like him, he’s a good player just not a opener where u need to utilise the first 6 overs soo frustrating to watch him bat at times
hitthestump
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Babar just lacks the power to clear the inner circle
I have never seen this guy win Pakistan a game when chasing a big total hence why he will never be even half the player kohli ever was… kohli won many a match whilst chasing big totals that’s why he is the GOAT.
He’s even told sharjeel to play slow like him, he’s a good player just not a opener where u need to utilise the first 6 overs soo frustrating to watch him bat at times
https://www.espncricinfo.com/series...a-vs-pakistan-3rd-t20i-1251577/full-scorecard
I knew this is what you posted before I even opened it
.. if this is your response to what I have posted you know zilch about cricket.. babar is torture to watch when chasing a big total a total liability in any team Biggest bottler you can get with his timid approach. He’s going to embarrass himself further the way he is playing atm
He’s an embarrassment going at run a ball with power players to spare he’s always playing and padding up his stats just a selfish player that will never be an elite player like their other greats
Bewal Express
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Really poor by Babar. No intent, no creativity and no power. I am amazed that he doesn't use his feet to the medium pacers. If the ball isn't in his slot he can do anything. Surely he can be more proactive
He’s just a selfish player padding up his record and stats simple.. he’s just not good enough when chasing big totals in t20.. he’s just a good ODI player that’s it. Soo frustrating to watch this lad bat puts you to sleep
Major
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its a non issue....
This is a domestic game, and i wont read too much into it.
WOrld T20 is in Australia, and over there you cant win by sloggin but by playing ground shots between fielders. Babar not suited for flat pitches but for high bounce pitches he is getting good practise.
He will be effective in Australia.
You can whine and cry all you want here, but in Australia he will be the difference.
This is a domestic game, and i wont read too much into it.
WOrld T20 is in Australia, and over there you cant win by sloggin but by playing ground shots between fielders. Babar not suited for flat pitches but for high bounce pitches he is getting good practise.
He will be effective in Australia.
You can whine and cry all you want here, but in Australia he will be the difference.
cricenjoyer
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I have always been a big fan of Babar but his performance this PSL has been really shocking, lacking the ability to find gaps and no real intent until the final few overs.
Hope it's just a bad patch, however their is always the chance that this drop in form may effect his ability in internationals.
Hope it's just a bad patch, however their is always the chance that this drop in form may effect his ability in internationals.
Azam is the biggest stat padder in the world how is this 50 any important at all. Just a certified bottler period
Major
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does it matter? its a domestic game, not international....
Like it or not, hes batting style is needed in australia
I don’t think it’s the latter because the way sharjeel has conducted himself whilst batting goes to show the knock on affect it has had on the team with babars timid approach and instructions.
I want Rizwan and fakhar/sharjeel to open in t20 for Pakistan.
I just don’t agree with you.. in a sense we will only need babar batting in Australia but as a middle order nurdler if be at all …
JibranAnsari
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Whats the point of babar azam in high scoring games?
Exactly the point I’m trying to make. He needs to learn to shuffle himself according to the match situation. He’s just not good enough t20 player it’s all about strike rates in t20 not averages
cricketerB94
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What will Babar gain by stat padding in a domestic tournament? He is already the number 1 batter in this format internationally.
There must be some other factor which is forcing him to play like this. Maybe he is out of form, or the team environment is not so good for him, or he is playing according to his role and other players are not fulfilling their roles, or he is not willing to over-try things in a domestic tournament. As a batter, we can only judge him when he plays a couple of international series like this.
The problem isn't power, plenty of less powerful slight of stature batsmen who can score quickly around the world. The problem is his inability to find the gaps with the bad ball. I saw 6 juicy balls today that should have been sent to the boundary through leg and off side. That would have propelled his score and his team's.
Zaz
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He could do a lot better but its not as if this team will become world beaters if you take him out of the top
Hes carrying a weak team Theyve got no match winners, their foreign batters are awful n medicore and the management are clueless in terms of tactics and selections
Theyre just a poor team overall
Waleed93
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You need common sense and basic knowledge about the game to understand these things.
T10 fans who got the opportunity to bash the country's best batsman just because he had a poor PSL season are not worth your effort.
Major
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true.its a domestic game. His stye of batting which is to play ground shots is going to be needed in Australia. Short Term goal is a just a useless PSL, longterm goal is the world t20.
KK management is shambolic nothing else
Sherlock
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Problem is some of our fans don't seem to understand the basics with players like Babar, and those of his ilk. It's not about power-hitting but about other players playing around him.
If they're not doing that players like Babar will always stick out like a sore thumb.
There's not one batsmen in that lineup that has helped him and played around his innings.
Blaming Babar is one thing, blaming him for all the ills of the side losing are another.
If they're not doing that players like Babar will always stick out like a sore thumb.
There's not one batsmen in that lineup that has helped him and played around his innings.
Blaming Babar is one thing, blaming him for all the ills of the side losing are another.
Corridor of Uncertainty
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On paper, Babar made 59 at an acceptable strike rate of 130 for an opener.
Yet, another meaningless innings. I fear he is going down Misbah's route. Thinking his long stay at the crease is more important than strike rate and that other, bigger hitters, should play around him.
Modern T20 doesn't work that way - as we say in the SF against Australia.
Yet, another meaningless innings. I fear he is going down Misbah's route. Thinking his long stay at the crease is more important than strike rate and that other, bigger hitters, should play around him.
Modern T20 doesn't work that way - as we say in the SF against Australia.
His timid approach in the semifinal against Australia cost us a ICC trophy he needs to be dropped asap
RedwoodOriginal
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Babar is not the problem, everyone else is. He is not going to mindlessly throw his wicket away to (maybe) accelerate the run-rate...something our fans have been programmed to seeing since the days of Afridi. But if anyone here seriously believes that he is single-handedly going to chase down a near 200 run target than I don't know what to say.
shah_1
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His SR is appalling in powerplay
cricketerB94
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If Jason Roy can do that against a better bowling line-up, why can't Babar if he is really the best T20 batter? He needs to improve his T20 game and these tournaments are just for this purpose. Having said that, judging him on the basis of 1 bad PSL season would not be fair and if he performs like this in a couple of upcoming series, then the knives should really be out.
RedwoodOriginal
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Jason Roy is a completely different kind of player. Jason Roy does not average over 40 in any format, which Babar does in every format. That's the cost of playing the way he plays.
A T20 team is comprised of different kind of players who all have a certain role. Right now that Jason Roy role in KK belongs to Sharjeel Khan, and he is doing terribly in that role.
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cricketerB94
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The issue currently is that Rizwan has the same role in the team and he is better than Babar when it comes to the execution of that role.
Everyone knows that the role of both of them is to play out the overs and start acceleration after 10 overs. When we look at other top teams, they do not have any such player with this role in T20 cricket or max 1 player. England moved on from Root. Aus have only Smith and NZ have only Williamson. The teams which do have these players do not play them in PP as openers to lose the advantage of field restrictions in PP overs.
cricketerB94
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And the other thing is that everyone should encourage match winning players, not the players with high average. Yes, if that player has high strike rate too then he should be encouraged, because that is what matters in T20 cricket. I think you will take Roy over Babar any day in a T20 high scoring match despite his high average.
Corridor of Uncertainty
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When everyone else is the problem but not you, most likely you are the problem.
I find the Afridi argument weak. There are a 1000 players between Afridi and Babar. Some of them have both great averages and good strike rates - Warner, Rohit are two of them
He is setting his team off to poor starts most times. Many times his team still wins because the target is 150. But his team can’t win when the target is 190 or the pitch is a 200 one when setting a score, not with him consuming 40% of the balls at a 130 strike rate.
But we can always blame bowlers for not restricting opposition to under 150, or other players for not scoring enough runs fast enough, after the pressure to score is piled on them with Babar’s slow start. Babar with his 59 off 44 balls will always be the man.
He needs to rethink his cricket in T20s for sluggish pitches in the power play and middle overs.
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I don't follow these games, I can get the jist of it.
In T-20 you have only 120 balls with 10 wickets in hand. If someone comes as an opener and plays 50 balls and scores 60 runs(SR of 120) then in any high-scoring match, others are going to feel too much pressure to get the rest of the runs. In other words, you are asking the rest of the 9 wickets to face 60-70 balls and score fast. On average they will face less than 2 overs and the expectation is that they start hitting 4s/6s immediately. It's simply unrealistic.
The game is pretty much lost because one batsman opened and played 60(50) kind of knock. The big picture looks like, one batsman getting praised for scoring 60 when other batsmen are struggling to make a big score. Other batsmen are not really struggling to make 60(50) kind of score, they are trying to score faster because that was required before a single ball was bowled in the high scoring match and the rate went even higher because one batsman is playing his happy merry knock of 60(50).
Happy merry knock of 60(50) will have a high average and seems like a great asset when a match is around 150-160, but if the score is closer to 180-190 then happy merry knock single handily lose the games for their teams.
Babar has limitations and he plays within his limitations. That's what allows him to score 60(50) kinds of scores. If he tries to do it differently then he won't score 60(50), but in high scoring him playing differently will allow the team to have a greater chance of winning. 35(20) will be a far more valuable knock.
RedwoodOriginal
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RedwoodOriginal
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Correction. They have very good averages and excellent strike rates. They don't have excellent strike rates and excellent averages. Rohit and Warner both average in the low 30s in T20Is. They don't average over 40 like Babar, Rizwan, Kohli. Kohli and Malan are literally the only players in the world who have both an excellent strike-rate (135+) and an excellent average (40+). That's two out of thousands. And averaging over 40 is also incredibly rare in this format. You have maybe 4-5 guys in world cricket who do.
Its not his job to get the team off to a flying start. Its his job to stay till the end and accelerate or rotate the strike throughout the innings biased on the run-rate. Others have to play around him. And specifically its Sharjeel's job to get them off to flying starts which he has been failing miserably at it because Sharjeel is too one-dimensional and brainless to know how to do that consistently. And I don't know if you know this but when wickets are falling all around you the last thing any sane individual is supposed to do is try to slog and throw your wicket away.
You can keep blaming Babar all day long but fact is no team can win thanks to one player. The performances of everyone else have been abject. Not even a 59 off 44 balls to speak off. But you won't criticize them because they are not as big as Babar which ofcourse is utter nonsense. How is Joe Clarke's 26 of 26 balls at No. 3 not infinitely worse than Babar's innings? Especially when he boasts a T20 SR of 153?
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RedwoodOriginal
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Funny you say that considering Rizwan has a lower strike rate than Babar in fewer number of matches.
Zaz
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POTW for me Sums things up nicely
cricketerB94
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Compare the numbers when Rizwan started opening alongside Babar. That would be a fair comparison, no?
Corridor of Uncertainty
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Several things irk me here. I'll quote 2:
1. "I don't know if you know this..."
Ad hominem: This fallacy occurs when, instead of addressing someone's argument or position, you irrelevantly attack the person or some aspect of the person who is making the argument.
You do not have to talk down to me or anyone. it will never win you the argument.
2. "But you won't criticize them because they are not as big as Babar"
Strawman Fallacy: A straw man is an informal fallacy of having the impression of refuting an argument, whereas the real subject of the argument was not addressed or refuted, but instead replaced with a false one.
I am not even talking about others, just Babar. All this whataboutery is exhausting.
It's hard for me to argue with someone who uses these fallacies.
My whole argument is based on what you just showed: In T20s, for an opener, an average of low 30s @140+ SR >> an average of 40+ @ <130SR.
Also, it is false to assume Babar rotates strike (we didn't see any rotation today for example) and we know many of his fast runs come in bursts towards the end of his innings when things are already pretty far gone.
Babar is accumulating losses and if we keep on blaming everyone else but him, it will get very ugly very fast once teams get used to Babar-Rizwan methods in international cricket as well. A Misbah 2.0 again.
Babar is good enough to reverse this trend once he internalizes it.
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aqeelPK
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Babar is more fluent & expressive on fast pitches (eng, aus, nz, sa). He likes to play from the crease & allows the ball onto the bat without forcing it. That's why he struggles to hit boundaries & maintain decent strike rate on slower pitches. He needs to make use of his feet to generate power & placement on slower pitches.
Misbah is absolutely right.. Yes Misbah himself was very very slow but atleast he had an excuse that whenever I come, pak is 30/3 or 50/4 so I have to play so... But this today's innings can't have any excuse.. The man came opener and took the RR to almost 20 and got out..Intent was not there even when no wicket was falling... Poor poor shameful attitude by babar... Shame on you... I wish he knows how much tarnish this innings has done to his image not only in pak but Internationally... He didnt even gave the chance to sahi ziada, yamin, cockbain, imad, nabi and qasim to even try for the win as he single handedly blocked the innings along with Joe without losing wicket.. I guess he just lost all senses... This timid person can't be our captain.. Loser
Savak
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I hold Wasim Akram as the main man responsible for KKs mess. He was the main man present at the draft and he influenced the picks. KK squad is just beyond awful and he should be fired from his job for this debacle
Rathore
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this stat padler should be kicked out of the team. bring fakhar zaman back with rizwan or shan masood. even sarfraz has more power game than this man
Yes he’s a timid character who should be sacked from the Pakistan t20 squad and replaced with brave players like Umar akmal who showed glimpses of his very best… I’m babar Azam fan but not as a captain and a t20 player he needs to stick to odis
Haha exactly he’s had 6 years to improve his power game but he’s just not good enough and looked absolute embarrassing to say the least with his poor timid attitude
cricketerB94
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T20 is not a game of average for a batter, it's a game of impact. A player with more impact will be a greater asset for a team than a player with higher average. The average defines impact of a batter in Test or ODI cricket, but it does not define the impact of a batter in T20 cricket. Any sane person will prefer Warner and Roy as openers rather than any two of Babar, Rizwan, Malan or Kohli despite their higher averages, because they are more impactful player and can win matches on their own without depending on any other member of team.
He should not be opening in Pakistan team when Rizwan is there for the similar role and he is executing that role in a better way currently. Regarding KK, yes Sharjeel has that role of aggressor, but again it's not possible that he'll fire everyday. If he's not timing the ball, then Babar should show some intent and take control of the game instead of relying on batters around him like a night watchman. He needs to prove that he at least belongs to this format when everyone around him is failing. Like Inzamam said the other day, he should get out trying to score 20 off an over rather than just accumulate to a 50 and then go hard at ball when the game is already over. What's the purpose of that when you can't win a match for your team?
T20 is a format where teams can win or lose because of one player. Who is responsible for the whole team's performance? Is Babar not the captain of this team now? Does he not have the authority to make some sane changes? He was announced as captain well before the draft, why did he not chose any good players? Did he not have that authority after being the all-format captain of the national team? Who is responsible when Babar is not willing to try out different things with his team like opening with Farhan or Clarke, play Sharjeel in middle or any out of the box thing? Who is responsible when he played an emerging kid as a specialist fielder?
The thing is that he has done some selfish batting and he is also the captain, so all the question will be directed towards him and he needs to give better answers for those questions instead of displaying his average. Because yes, his high average could not win a single game for his team in this season yet and this arise more questions for him.
RedwoodOriginal
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Nice job completely avoiding most of the points I made in my post. But you know what will also not help you win an argument? Trying to project yourself as intellectually superior to others.
Fact is you completely dodged some very relevant points I made. Probably because you knew they were true.
And since you have taken the decision of insulting me and calling my points "whatabouttery" and "fallacies", allow me to present some quantifiable facts to further strengthen my argument. Here are the averages and strike-rates of Karachi Kings batsmen this season:
Sharjeel avg: 22, SR: 129
Joe Clarke avg: 26, SR: 109
Ian Cockbain avg: 15.6, SR: 127
Mohammad Nabi avg: 19.4, SR: 119
Lewis Gregory avg: 14.6, SR: 86
Sahibzada Farhan avg: 11.3, SR: 117
Imad Wasim avg: 8.75, SR: 89.7
Babar on the other hand averages 50.6 this season with a SR of 120. He is the only player from Karachi Kings who has crossed 50 twice and besides him Sharjeel Khan is the only player who has crossed 50 even once.
He has also scored 253 runs (the second most is 133 by Sharjeel). This means that not only is he scoring most of the runs but he also has one of the highest strike rates in a side where most guys are struggling to cross 20 on average and bat with any sort of impetus. If anything these numbers show that Karachi Kings have no power-hitters in their side. Because they have all batted like tail-enders. These are the facts. Not opinions or fallacies or whattabotery, but facts.
And unless you have quantifiable facts to support your hypothesis that "an average of low 30s @140+ SR >> an average of 40+ @ <130SR" there is nothing that says that is the case.
My point on the other hand is fairly simple. A guy who averages 30 with a high strike-rate has a statically higher chance of failing on any given day than someone who averages 40 with a lower strike-rate. In a format where failure is something batters are accustomed to seeing having someone in your side who has a very low probability of failing is not only incredibly rare but a blessing that not every team has.
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YousafTheBeast
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You’ll never be the No.1 T20 batsman in my eyes if you’re having to rely on your partners to attack and take all the risks whilst you sit back and play risk free cricket, taking all the credit for the wins just because you were the highest scorer.
It’s selfish.
It’s like picking a bowler that’s economical but doesn’t pick up wickets, and saying that “he doesn’t need to pick up wickets if others are doing it, he doesn’t need to bowl an attacking line if others are attacking the stumps, It’s the other bowlers job to pick up wickets”.
Babar is not a team player, he puts pressure on the rest of the team.
One thing I’d love to hear from Babarian’s is, let’s say Babar and Sharjeel put on a 50 run partnership, and Sharjeel gets out. Are you saying that the new batsman should come in and attack from ball one whilst Babar (whose settled and got used to the conditions) should sit back and just rotate the strike? Wouldn’t it make more sense for Babar to take a more aggressive approach whilst the new batsman finds his feet?
What I also don’t understand is, the batsmen that show intent and look to score runs get criticised more because they don’t score as many runs as Babar and Rizwan. - WELL NO S#^*% SHERLOCK, the other batsmen are taking risks and have higher chances of getting out. Of course Babar and Rizwan will out perform the rest of the players when they’re not playing aggressively.
It’s not that hard to understand, it really isn’t.
It’s selfish.
It’s like picking a bowler that’s economical but doesn’t pick up wickets, and saying that “he doesn’t need to pick up wickets if others are doing it, he doesn’t need to bowl an attacking line if others are attacking the stumps, It’s the other bowlers job to pick up wickets”.
Babar is not a team player, he puts pressure on the rest of the team.
One thing I’d love to hear from Babarian’s is, let’s say Babar and Sharjeel put on a 50 run partnership, and Sharjeel gets out. Are you saying that the new batsman should come in and attack from ball one whilst Babar (whose settled and got used to the conditions) should sit back and just rotate the strike? Wouldn’t it make more sense for Babar to take a more aggressive approach whilst the new batsman finds his feet?
What I also don’t understand is, the batsmen that show intent and look to score runs get criticised more because they don’t score as many runs as Babar and Rizwan. - WELL NO S#^*% SHERLOCK, the other batsmen are taking risks and have higher chances of getting out. Of course Babar and Rizwan will out perform the rest of the players when they’re not playing aggressively.
It’s not that hard to understand, it really isn’t.
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Zaz
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Everyone has their role in a team and babar has his which is being the glue which holds the innings together on the way to a successful score
Yes invariably his style of batting may lead to a below par score but with any strategy theres a risk
Going hard from ball one can also lead to this through losing wkts
In no team will you see all the batsmen strike at 140 plus There are many components that make a successful team and score This is a point where some ppers are failing to grasp
The issue with karachi just isny babar The whole team and squad looks devoid of quality and a winning mentality
Its more than one issue we are looking at
Yes invariably his style of batting may lead to a below par score but with any strategy theres a risk
Going hard from ball one can also lead to this through losing wkts
In no team will you see all the batsmen strike at 140 plus There are many components that make a successful team and score This is a point where some ppers are failing to grasp
The issue with karachi just isny babar The whole team and squad looks devoid of quality and a winning mentality
Its more than one issue we are looking at
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ARK Rafay
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Good post. People are really finding it difficult to understand a simple thing. If Babar is not in his best form and is causing the losses. Then what about other batters. Why are they bating at such a low strike rate and average? Maybe it's Babar who's presence is making them not perform.
cricketerB94
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The issue is that he is the captain and should be answerable for all these questions. If he knows that Sharjeel is out of form, why is he giving him consistent chances? Why is he not playing Farhan or Clarke as opener? Why is the team not showing any kind of winning intent?
WhenSultansBowled
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Babar is batting with a bunch of useless hacks in KK.
Savak
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Some reporters are now reporting that Wasim Akram did not agree with the decision to replace Imad as captain with Babar.
RedwoodOriginal
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Its needless nitpicking by people who haven't even bothered to analyze how the rest of the Karachi Kings squad has played this season. You won't hear any of them talking about stuff like Karachi's horrific fielding yesterday where they dropped catch after catch. Catches, that if taken could have resulted in a much smaller total. Somehow its all about Babar.
There's not a single batsman in the Karachi Kings squad besides Babar who has done well this season. I just can't fathom how people think he is the problem.
RedwoodOriginal
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Shahid Afridi has badly damaged the way certain Pakistani fans perceive cricket. I feel bad for them because they have grown up romanticizing a largely braindead style of batting that only a handful of cricketers in the world can execute successfully. And even they can do it from time to time, not every single time.
Problem is that this style of batting has given certain Pakistani fans unrealistic expectations about what constitutes good batting and has created an unhealthy obsession with strike-rates. For one thing, one or two anchors are good for any team to have in T20s. Especially if they can accelerate once they are set like Babar and Rizwan do. Strike-rates do matter. Especially for players batting 5 and below. But if you are batting in the Top 3 a SR of 130 is very good. Which is what Babar's strike-rate in T20Is is. And it has consistently been improving since 2017 when it was 124 or something at one point.
For context, Babar has a higher T20I career strike-rate than MS Dhoni, Joe Root, Rishabh Pant, Steve Smith, Mitch Marsh, Kane Williamson, Shikhar Dhawan and even Umar Akmal, a player who was always perceived as a hard-hitting batsman by Pakistani fans.
But I honestly cannot recall anyone nitpicking the strike-rates or power-hitting ability of any of these players as much as people here nitpick Babar's.
Instead of being so thankless and cherry-picking a handful of times that he failed, why not be grateful that your team finally has a world-class batter who also happens to be one of the best T20 batters in the world.
Problem is that this style of batting has given certain Pakistani fans unrealistic expectations about what constitutes good batting and has created an unhealthy obsession with strike-rates. For one thing, one or two anchors are good for any team to have in T20s. Especially if they can accelerate once they are set like Babar and Rizwan do. Strike-rates do matter. Especially for players batting 5 and below. But if you are batting in the Top 3 a SR of 130 is very good. Which is what Babar's strike-rate in T20Is is. And it has consistently been improving since 2017 when it was 124 or something at one point.
For context, Babar has a higher T20I career strike-rate than MS Dhoni, Joe Root, Rishabh Pant, Steve Smith, Mitch Marsh, Kane Williamson, Shikhar Dhawan and even Umar Akmal, a player who was always perceived as a hard-hitting batsman by Pakistani fans.
But I honestly cannot recall anyone nitpicking the strike-rates or power-hitting ability of any of these players as much as people here nitpick Babar's.
Instead of being so thankless and cherry-picking a handful of times that he failed, why not be grateful that your team finally has a world-class batter who also happens to be one of the best T20 batters in the world.
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YousafTheBeast
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BABAR AZAM PP STATS IN T20i’s (6 overs)
2018 - 98.0 (Ave) + 127.3 (SR) + 37.0 (Dot%)
2019 - 47.0 (Ave) + 137.2 (SR) + 38.7 (Dot%)
2020 - 57.5 (Ave) + 140.2 (SR) + 28.0% (Dot%)
2021 - 29.4 (Ave) + 105.9 (SR) + 45.9% (Dot%)
The numbers are there for everyone to see.
Having a Dot ball % of 45.9 in the PP overs in 2021 is absolutely shocking, especially compared to his previous years.
Fans won’t see this, because truth be told they don’t want to see it. The golden boy mustn’t be criticised, he’s our saviour.
His numbers after the PP are actually pretty good, but the whole point of the PP is to take advantage of the fielding restrictions, which Babar has failed to do. A strike rate of 105 in the PP is unacceptable no matter what, especially when you have Rizwan at the other end who is going to be playing at the same pace.
Imagine being a fan of Pakistan cricket and being happy to settle with openers who score a run a ball in the PP.
shah_1
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Babar 13(16), 15(14), 13(14), 27(23), 8(10), 14(14)
These are his scores in the powerplay in this PSL. He simply doesn’t have the power game to accelerate like Rohit Sharma, Maxwell, ABD or Chris Gayle. Why is he putting so much pressure on himself?
I know he has a poor team but he should focus on himself. His strength has been PP in the past due to his ability to find gaps with ease. He has been really poor in this tournament, fans like [MENTION=147292]RedwoodOriginal[/MENTION] need to accept he has been poor in this tournament.
His captaincy as well has been rubbish, has been hiding emerging players. Playing an opener at 8.
We don’t need an anchor when we have Nawaz batting at 8, use the batting dept that we have. His powerplay game has been extremely poor in this year, can’t play like that anymore.
These are his scores in the powerplay in this PSL. He simply doesn’t have the power game to accelerate like Rohit Sharma, Maxwell, ABD or Chris Gayle. Why is he putting so much pressure on himself?
I know he has a poor team but he should focus on himself. His strength has been PP in the past due to his ability to find gaps with ease. He has been really poor in this tournament, fans like [MENTION=147292]RedwoodOriginal[/MENTION] need to accept he has been poor in this tournament.
His captaincy as well has been rubbish, has been hiding emerging players. Playing an opener at 8.
We don’t need an anchor when we have Nawaz batting at 8, use the batting dept that we have. His powerplay game has been extremely poor in this year, can’t play like that anymore.
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Babar Azam is the fourth-highest run-scorer at PSL 2022 so far, but he has the lowest strike-rate of any player with more than 150 runs
Rana
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I wouldn’t be surprised if Rizwan has the second lowest strike rate for anyone over 150 runs?
Corridor of Uncertainty
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My last post on this topic - point by point. Let's get some common things out of the way:
1. Karachi Kings has lost all its games
2. Babar is their top scorer
3. Babar has a SR of 120
4. All this team mates are rubbish and not worth the paper their names are written on - in that case, the team sheet.
5. A change in Karachi Kings' approach is in order.
OK Let's go:
Trying to project yourself as intellectually superior to others.
First of, I didn't engage with your entire earlier post because you are consistently personal and assume stuff on my behalf.
Fact is you completely dodged some very relevant points I made. Probably because you knew they were true.
...and again
And since you have taken the decision of insulting me and calling my points "whatabouttery" and "fallacies"
No I didn't insult you. I am talking about Babar and you are talking about others that they are bad. Yes, others are bad, but let's focus on what Babar can do better.
B, allow me to present some quantifiable facts to further strengthen my argument. Here are the averages and strike-rates of Karachi Kings batsmen this season:B
Sharjeel avg: 22, SR: 129
Joe Clarke avg: 26, SR: 109
Ian Cockbain avg: 15.6, SR: 127
Mohammad Nabi avg: 19.4, SR: 119
Lewis Gregory avg: 14.6, SR: 86
Sahibzada Farhan avg: 11.3, SR: 117
Imad Wasim avg: 8.75, SR: 89.7
Babar on the other hand averages 50.6 this season with a SR of 120. He is the only player from Karachi Kings who has crossed 50 twice and besides him Sharjeel Khan is the only player who has crossed 50 even once.
He has also scored 253 runs (the second most is 133 by Sharjeel). This means that not only is he scoring most of the runs but he also has one of the highest strike rates in a side where most guys are struggling to cross 20 on average and bat with any sort of impetus. If anything these numbers show that Karachi Kings have no power-hitters in their side. Because they have all batted like tail-enders. These are the facts. Not opinions or fallacies or whattabotery, but facts.
Good points. Here is my counter.
Karachi Kings lost all these matches!!!!
The currency is not Babar's 50s. The currency is results.
With Babar scoring runs, Karachi is losing. If you take out Babar and put me in the team, Karachi will still lose, by a bigger margin. So what's Babar's value in terms of results?
In not too distant past, Misbah used to score slow 50s in Pakistan's losses, until he left and Pakistan started winning. Again happened when he left as coach with Babar scoring slow 50s. England had similar problems until Morgan changed their approach to all out aggression.
The issue at hand is not other players' rubbishness, which is true. The issues at hand is this: What can Babar do to change results as the team's best batsman, knowing he has to make up for others?
Currently, rather than helping, he is piling pressure on them. Yesterday Karachi Kings were 60 off 60 balls chasing 200. They were only one wicket down, yet Babar was 29 off 26, with 7 dot balls. That left them needing 134 off the other 60 balls. What kind of pressure do you expect the following batsmen will be under?
You could argue that Sharjeel or Clarke should have done much better and you'd be right. But we already know they are struggling. I'd also argue even if they are hitting out and succeeding, Babar's slowness with one or two slow overs will put them back under pressure to hit out more.
Here is my hypothetical: if you replace Babar with Warner or Rohit, Karachi King will have an entirely different mindset of setting and approaching targets, they would be 90 off 60 balls, possibly 2 or 3 down. I'd also argue all other players will improve too.
Here I am not talking about Babar as captain, just as the pacesetter at the top of the order.
And unless you have quantifiable facts to support your hypothesis that "an average of low 30s @140+ SR >> an average of 40+ @ <130SR" there is nothing that says that is the case.
Yes I can't. But neither can you with a guy scoring 50s @120 and losing game after game.
It is not his fault. With his game, he is perfectly suited to a far superior national team, but even in that case, setting or chasing 200 will be a matter of many things coming together, rather than design.
My point on the other hand is fairly simple. A guy who averages 30 with a high strike-rate has a statically higher chance of failing on any given day than someone who averages 40 with a lower strike-rate. In a format where failure is something batters are accustomed to seeing having someone in your side who has a very low probability of failing is not only incredibly rare but a blessing that not every team has.
Yes I will agree, a guy on 30s with a higher strike rate will fail more often. But he will also fail faster.
My entire argument is this: You are better off getting out for 130 going for 200, rather than play slowly and securely to score 150 each time. 150s are extremely poor odds for victory.
1. Karachi Kings has lost all its games
2. Babar is their top scorer
3. Babar has a SR of 120
4. All this team mates are rubbish and not worth the paper their names are written on - in that case, the team sheet.
5. A change in Karachi Kings' approach is in order.
OK Let's go:
Trying to project yourself as intellectually superior to others.
First of, I didn't engage with your entire earlier post because you are consistently personal and assume stuff on my behalf.
Fact is you completely dodged some very relevant points I made. Probably because you knew they were true.
...and again
And since you have taken the decision of insulting me and calling my points "whatabouttery" and "fallacies"
No I didn't insult you. I am talking about Babar and you are talking about others that they are bad. Yes, others are bad, but let's focus on what Babar can do better.
B, allow me to present some quantifiable facts to further strengthen my argument. Here are the averages and strike-rates of Karachi Kings batsmen this season:B
Sharjeel avg: 22, SR: 129
Joe Clarke avg: 26, SR: 109
Ian Cockbain avg: 15.6, SR: 127
Mohammad Nabi avg: 19.4, SR: 119
Lewis Gregory avg: 14.6, SR: 86
Sahibzada Farhan avg: 11.3, SR: 117
Imad Wasim avg: 8.75, SR: 89.7
Babar on the other hand averages 50.6 this season with a SR of 120. He is the only player from Karachi Kings who has crossed 50 twice and besides him Sharjeel Khan is the only player who has crossed 50 even once.
He has also scored 253 runs (the second most is 133 by Sharjeel). This means that not only is he scoring most of the runs but he also has one of the highest strike rates in a side where most guys are struggling to cross 20 on average and bat with any sort of impetus. If anything these numbers show that Karachi Kings have no power-hitters in their side. Because they have all batted like tail-enders. These are the facts. Not opinions or fallacies or whattabotery, but facts.
Good points. Here is my counter.
Karachi Kings lost all these matches!!!!
The currency is not Babar's 50s. The currency is results.
With Babar scoring runs, Karachi is losing. If you take out Babar and put me in the team, Karachi will still lose, by a bigger margin. So what's Babar's value in terms of results?
In not too distant past, Misbah used to score slow 50s in Pakistan's losses, until he left and Pakistan started winning. Again happened when he left as coach with Babar scoring slow 50s. England had similar problems until Morgan changed their approach to all out aggression.
The issue at hand is not other players' rubbishness, which is true. The issues at hand is this: What can Babar do to change results as the team's best batsman, knowing he has to make up for others?
Currently, rather than helping, he is piling pressure on them. Yesterday Karachi Kings were 60 off 60 balls chasing 200. They were only one wicket down, yet Babar was 29 off 26, with 7 dot balls. That left them needing 134 off the other 60 balls. What kind of pressure do you expect the following batsmen will be under?
You could argue that Sharjeel or Clarke should have done much better and you'd be right. But we already know they are struggling. I'd also argue even if they are hitting out and succeeding, Babar's slowness with one or two slow overs will put them back under pressure to hit out more.
Here is my hypothetical: if you replace Babar with Warner or Rohit, Karachi King will have an entirely different mindset of setting and approaching targets, they would be 90 off 60 balls, possibly 2 or 3 down. I'd also argue all other players will improve too.
Here I am not talking about Babar as captain, just as the pacesetter at the top of the order.
And unless you have quantifiable facts to support your hypothesis that "an average of low 30s @140+ SR >> an average of 40+ @ <130SR" there is nothing that says that is the case.
Yes I can't. But neither can you with a guy scoring 50s @120 and losing game after game.
It is not his fault. With his game, he is perfectly suited to a far superior national team, but even in that case, setting or chasing 200 will be a matter of many things coming together, rather than design.
My point on the other hand is fairly simple. A guy who averages 30 with a high strike-rate has a statically higher chance of failing on any given day than someone who averages 40 with a lower strike-rate. In a format where failure is something batters are accustomed to seeing having someone in your side who has a very low probability of failing is not only incredibly rare but a blessing that not every team has.
Yes I will agree, a guy on 30s with a higher strike rate will fail more often. But he will also fail faster.
My entire argument is this: You are better off getting out for 130 going for 200, rather than play slowly and securely to score 150 each time. 150s are extremely poor odds for victory.
ARK Rafay
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The bigger question is. Is this team capable to chasing 200 without Babar and Sharjeel?
The average looks nice at 44.33 in PSL7 but look at the strike rate of 121.46.
Tricky one isn't it - wickets have been falling all around him, but then you could argue that the other players are having to take bigger risks due to no urgency at the other end.
Tricky one isn't it - wickets have been falling all around him, but then you could argue that the other players are having to take bigger risks due to no urgency at the other end.
What is concerning is that he has looked really out of touch . . he has lost his off side play . . Rashid Latif did a show about where his bat is coming from . . he keeps mistiming his shots through the off side to either mid off or mid on . . shots that he would typically cream through the off side . . so that has closed a big scoring avenue from him
finalfantasy7
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His and rizwan stats for this yr psl are identical -
Rizwan - 7 7 1 269 82 44.83 216-balls faced 124.53
Barbar - 7 7 1 266 90* 44.33 219-balls faced 121.46
Rana
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Two of americaz most wanted
cricketerB94
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General perception in T20:
Babar = Rizwan
Sharjeel > Shan
Clarke > Maqsood
Farhan/Cockbain < Rossow
Nabi < David
Gregory/Qasim = Khushdil
Imad > Anwar/Willey
Yamin/Thompson = Abbas Afridi
Umaid < Dahani
Shinwari/Taha/Mir Hamza < Imran Tahir
Jordan > Muzarabani/IK
When we look at the names and team sheets, the teams are almost balanced but why are they at the other ends of points table?
I think the answer is Rizwan. When he stays at crease and plays long, the team mostly wins. Shan has improved drastically under his leadership. Khushdil has emerged as a proper all-rounder under him. Previously, Dahani and Maqsood were doing good under him. One captain knows how to take performances from his team, the other hides his emerging players (Farhan, Taha, Qasim in bowling).
Yes as I say, it works if you have guys around you performing. If you don't then these sort of numbers are highlighted even more.
These two are the main reasons Pakistan will struggle in the world T20 opening the batting and scoring slow 50s on flat wickets against full strength teams.
But then again a few series wins against West Indies D and South Africa E and all is well Babar and Rizwan appreciate what we have match losers in big matches at world cups which is what it’s all about.
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