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Babar Azam's T20I Strike Rate vs. Others

salman24

salman24

First Class Captain
Joined
Sep 4, 2005
Runs
5,665

Below is an analysis of Babar's Strike Rate and overall impact in T20. The question is whether his SR is really that bad when it's pretty close to so-called players with intent and even superior than some such as Usman Khan. Also please remember the loner you play your strike rate is harder to maintain and would in most cases go down.​

Although Babar’s strike rate (128.45) falls mid‑table among active players, his overall T20I value is far superior when viewed in context.

1. Babar’s Strike Rate Is Very Close to Pakistan’s Aggressive Batters​

Comparing SR values among active players:

  • Saim Ayub: 133.04
  • Fakhar Zaman: 131.76
  • Iftikhar Ahmed: 129.10
  • Babar Azam: 128.45
    [espncricinfo.com]
The gap is tiny (often only 1–4 runs per 100 balls), especially considering:

  • Saim, Fakhar, Haris, and Iftikhar face fewer overs and play high‑risk roles.
  • Babar faces more balls and carries innings more often.

2. Massive Run Volume: No One Comes Close​

Players with higher strike rates (Shadab, Haris, Nawaz, Saim, Fakhar) have far fewer runs.
This means Babar maintains a competitive SR while producing 3–6x more runs.

3. One of the Best Averages in Pakistan’s T20I History​

Among active players:

  • Rizwan: 47.41
  • Babar: 39.54
  • Others with SR >130 often average below 25.
    [espncricinfo.com]
This shows Babar’s unique combination of:

✔ High runs
✔ High average
✔ Competitive SR

Most “big hitters” don’t provide this balance.

4. His Strike Rate ≈ Pakistan’s Overall Benchmark​

Independent analysis shows the Pakistan batting strike‑rate baseline is ~128.5.
Babar’s career SR ~129 is right on par with the national average. [cricketpak...tan.com.pk]

He is not slowing Pakistan down.

5. Proven Ability to Accelerate​

Recent individual innings show high‑intent potential:

He can accelerate when needed; his role often requires deeper anchoring.

Conclusion: Babar’s Strike Rate Is Not a Weakness​

When considering:

  • Run volume (highest in Pakistan history)
  • Elite average
  • Strike rate very close to hitters above him
  • His responsibility to anchor the innings
…it becomes clear that Babar’s SR is not inferior—it is proportional, role‑appropriate, and supported by unmatched consistency & productivity.
 
Babar also had the privilege of playing against minnows on some of the flattest pitches on earth for probably over 7 years(?). So, I don’t have to look at stats to tell me whether Babar is or isn’t any different to players like Ayub or Farhan.
 
YousafTheBeast said:
Babar also had the privilege of playing against minnows on some of the flattest pitches on earth for probably over 7 years(?). So, I don’t have to look at stats to tell me whether Babar is or isn’t any different to players like Ayub or Farhan.
Click to expand...
He played in UAE for the longest time which has lower scores but sure believe what you want.
 
TheSultan said:
What a desperate Cope.

Anyone tell ChatGPT to form a particular case! I mean at least change the fonts man - this is just lazy
Click to expand...
I didn't want to hide that I used ChatGPT. It's a tool. I told it what information to pull for me.

Don't tell me you disagree with the objective stuff like actual stats.
 
Petition to ban ChatGPT posts on this forum? Sorry but my brain just turns off after reading that AI slop formatting and I don't feel like reading from that point on. The least y'all could do is put a little bit of effort with your prompts and make it seem like it wasn't written by AI.
 
Here’s some slop I just created. Enjoy:


If you strip away the vibes, the aesthetics, and the constant “but he’s classy” defences, the numbers are brutally clear: Babar Azam’s T20 strike rate is not good enough, and by modern standards it’s flat-out poor.

Across his T20 international career, Babar strikes at roughly 128–129. That’s the baseline fact. In isolation it sounds acceptable, until you remember this is a format where top-order batters are supposed to be doing the heaviest scoring under the least pressure. Once you compare him to genuine elite T20 batters, the problem becomes obvious very quickly.

Jos Buttler strikes at around 149 in T20Is. Rohit Sharma sits near 141. Virat Kohli, often lazily lumped into the same “anchor” category, still goes at about 137. Even someone like Paul Stirling, not exactly marketed as a generational great, clears 134. Every one of these players scores meaningfully faster than Babar, and not by tiny margins. We’re talking about gaps of 10 to 20 runs per 100 balls, which in a 120-ball innings compounds into match-deciding differences.

That strike-rate gap isn’t theoretical. If two batters face the same 40 balls, Buttler’s tempo gives you roughly 60 runs, while Babar gives you barely over 50. That’s a full boundary swing every few overs, purely because of pace. In T20 cricket, that’s enormous. Teams don’t lose matches by 1 run as often as fans like to pretend — they lose them because someone soaked up deliveries without keeping up with the format’s scoring curve.

The most damning part is when this slowness shows up where it is least defensible: the powerplay. This is the one phase where fielding restrictions actively reward intent. And yet Babar’s powerplay strike rate at major tournaments has dipped into the mid-80s at times. An opener striking below 100 in the powerplay is not “holding an end”; it’s sabotaging the innings. Those dots don’t disappear later — they reappear as panic hitting from the middle order.

People often point to his steady stream of 30s and 40s as evidence of reliability, but in T20 that argument collapses on contact with arithmetic. A 40 off 38 balls is not a good innings just because it looks tidy on a scorecard. It’s an innings that forces everyone else to swing harder, earlier, and under worse conditions. That isn’t responsibility; it’s inefficiency disguised as stability.

What really seals the case is that this isn’t about form, or a bad year, or one awkward World Cup. This is a career-long pattern. Babar’s game is built around risk minimisation, not run maximisation. That works beautifully in ODIs and Tests. In T20s, it leaves runs on the table every single over. The very best T20 batters start at 140 and accelerate. Babar starts at 110 and hopes to catch up later. Hope is not a T20 strategy.

So when you line everything up — a career strike rate under 130, peers comfortably in the mid-130s to high-140s, powerplay numbers that actively negate fielding restrictions, and an innings profile that shifts pressure rather than removing it — the conclusion is unavoidable. By the only metric that truly matters in T20 batting, Babar Azam scores too slowly, and no amount of elegance or run aggregates can rescue that reality.
 
salman24 said:
He played in UAE for the longest time which has lower scores but sure believe what you want.
Click to expand...

What, 23 T20i’s compared to 44 in Pakistan?

Sahibzada has only played 10 games in Pakistan, 14 in UAE.

Saim Ayub has played 15 in UAE and 21 at home.

Give these 2 the same rope Babar had vs the same quality of opposition and I’m sure their SR would jump up to 140+.
 
YousafTheBeast said:
What, 23 T20i’s compared to 44 in Pakistan?

Sahibzada has only played 10 games in Pakistan, 14 in UAE.

Saim Ayub has played 15 in UAE and 21 at home.

Give these 2 the same rope Babar had vs the same quality of opposition and I’m sure their SR would jump up to 140+.
Click to expand...
And their avg would be less than 20. Babar tops them with their 140+ SR too even if they reach there somehow. You don't win games by scoring 15 and 20. You need stable batter in top 3 who can face 40-50 balls and there is no on other than Babar who does that for Pak.
 
YousafTheBeast said:
What, 23 T20i’s compared to 44 in Pakistan?

Sahibzada has only played 10 games in Pakistan, 14 in UAE.

Saim Ayub has played 15 in UAE and 21 at home.

Give these 2 the same rope Babar had vs the same quality of opposition and I’m sure their SR would jump up to 140+.
Click to expand...
I guess we can just ignore all the games Babar has played in SENA and other difficult conditions. You have to try extra hard to be this biased
 
There is now way you can convince these babar haters...absolutely no way...

For them 115 strike rate captain is a T20 hero so that sums up the case.

Fakhar has been rubbish in t20s but there is absolutely not a single word about him..

Not gonna say anything until these guys get rid of their glasses of biasness.
 
Babar is World class T20 batsman - No

Babar is comparable to other top team players - No

Babar is comparable to other Pakistan player's - Yes

Babar deserved to Play for Pakistan -yes

:kp
 
If you are going to have a guy consciously anchoring, it might as well be the role of Hassan Nawaz
 
TheSultan said:
Here’s some slop I just created. Enjoy:


If you strip away the vibes, the aesthetics, and the constant “but he’s classy” defences, the numbers are brutally clear: Babar Azam’s T20 strike rate is not good enough, and by modern standards it’s flat-out poor.

Across his T20 international career, Babar strikes at roughly 128–129. That’s the baseline fact. In isolation it sounds acceptable, until you remember this is a format where top-order batters are supposed to be doing the heaviest scoring under the least pressure. Once you compare him to genuine elite T20 batters, the problem becomes obvious very quickly.

Jos Buttler strikes at around 149 in T20Is. Rohit Sharma sits near 141. Virat Kohli, often lazily lumped into the same “anchor” category, still goes at about 137. Even someone like Paul Stirling, not exactly marketed as a generational great, clears 134. Every one of these players scores meaningfully faster than Babar, and not by tiny margins. We’re talking about gaps of 10 to 20 runs per 100 balls, which in a 120-ball innings compounds into match-deciding differences.

That strike-rate gap isn’t theoretical. If two batters face the same 40 balls, Buttler’s tempo gives you roughly 60 runs, while Babar gives you barely over 50. That’s a full boundary swing every few overs, purely because of pace. In T20 cricket, that’s enormous. Teams don’t lose matches by 1 run as often as fans like to pretend — they lose them because someone soaked up deliveries without keeping up with the format’s scoring curve.

The most damning part is when this slowness shows up where it is least defensible: the powerplay. This is the one phase where fielding restrictions actively reward intent. And yet Babar’s powerplay strike rate at major tournaments has dipped into the mid-80s at times. An opener striking below 100 in the powerplay is not “holding an end”; it’s sabotaging the innings. Those dots don’t disappear later — they reappear as panic hitting from the middle order.

People often point to his steady stream of 30s and 40s as evidence of reliability, but in T20 that argument collapses on contact with arithmetic. A 40 off 38 balls is not a good innings just because it looks tidy on a scorecard. It’s an innings that forces everyone else to swing harder, earlier, and under worse conditions. That isn’t responsibility; it’s inefficiency disguised as stability.

What really seals the case is that this isn’t about form, or a bad year, or one awkward World Cup. This is a career-long pattern. Babar’s game is built around risk minimisation, not run maximisation. That works beautifully in ODIs and Tests. In T20s, it leaves runs on the table every single over. The very best T20 batters start at 140 and accelerate. Babar starts at 110 and hopes to catch up later. Hope is not a T20 strategy.

So when you line everything up — a career strike rate under 130, peers comfortably in the mid-130s to high-140s, powerplay numbers that actively negate fielding restrictions, and an innings profile that shifts pressure rather than removing it — the conclusion is unavoidable. By the only metric that truly matters in T20 batting, Babar Azam scores too slowly, and no amount of elegance or run aggregates can rescue that reality.
Click to expand...
This is really good stuff, a POTW for me. Specifically because it strips away all the side noise from both Babar fans and haters, puts aside his perceived character failings and just looks at the man’s performances objectively.

The only note I have about the above, is that it looks at Babar’s performances in a vacuum, rather than in the context of the Pakistan team. His career s/r would be palatable if:

a) there was regular high impact batting from other batsmen, to cover for Babar’s low s/r; and
b) the bowling attack consistently overperformed, thus defending par scores and bowling out teams for below bar chases.

The reality is that Pakistan are just not in a position to have a) , as we are still in the process of developing talent who can bat at a modern T20 tempo. And it’s frankly ridiculous for b) to happen, because on certain pitches and at certain points, eventually your bowling attack will be taken to the cleaners.

Thus I’d add that it’s not just that he doesn’t fit based on his own batting style and performances, it’s also that it doesn’t mesh with the wider team batting combination.

In an ideal world, Babar could have been Pakistan’s Dawid Malan, and we would be developed some destructive batsmen to complement his consistency. but he just never found that next gear to put a shine on his scores (like a Malan or Kohli, thus getting to a 140ish s/r) and Pakistan never developed the supporting cast to complement him and make those par scores above par.

This, rather than any outside noise, is why he shouldn’t make the t20 team.
 
KingOfPakBreakfast said:
This is really good stuff, a POTW for me. Specifically because it strips away all the side noise from both Babar fans and haters, puts aside his perceived character failings and just looks at the man’s performances objectively.

The only note I have about the above, is that it looks at Babar’s performances in a vacuum, rather than in the context of the Pakistan team. His career s/r would be palatable if:

a) there was regular high impact batting from other batsmen, to cover for Babar’s low s/r; and
b) the bowling attack consistently overperformed, thus defending par scores and bowling out teams for below bar chases.

The reality is that Pakistan are just not in a position to have a) , as we are still in the process of developing talent who can bat at a modern T20 tempo. And it’s frankly ridiculous for b) to happen, because on certain pitches and at certain points, eventually your bowling attack will be taken to the cleaners.

Thus I’d add that it’s not just that he doesn’t fit based on his own batting style and performances, it’s also that it doesn’t mesh with the wider team batting combination.

In an ideal world, Babar could have been Pakistan’s Dawid Malan, and we would be developed some destructive batsmen to complement his consistency. but he just never found that next gear to put a shine on his scores (like a Malan or Kohli, thus getting to a 140ish s/r) and Pakistan never developed the supporting cast to complement him and make those par scores above par.

This, rather than any outside noise, is why he shouldn’t make the t20 team.
Click to expand...
POTW stuff again. I just mentioned that if Babar were part of a more competent set up he would be rivalling Smith in tests in the years to come. Our fans and Board are fickle and that is why we have blokes like Azam Khan who cannot seem to sacrifice nihari and burgers for the sake of the national colors.

Babar is the only man to have captained us to win vs India, destroying Bhumrah, Shami, Chakarvarthee; he stood like a Wall when Cummins arrogantly declared in Karachi and destroyed the will of the Aussies standing for over 3 days and drawing Pak an undrawable game. He played his part as a young prodigy in destroying India in an ICC tournament final in 2017 and led Pak to SF and F in T20 WC 2021 and T20 WC 2022.

He is behind only Miandad definitely when you combine all formats for Pak at this stage and will likely surpass him when all is said and done...he has a good 7 years in him.
 
Babar haters don't care about his strike rate.

They just have a problem with him being able to score without playing high risk shots. essentially he scores the same amount of runs without blind slogging and ground shots. Or they just can't handle how famous he is.
 
Babar Azam fans would pick Babar in a 5 over match if it was an international format.

This isn’t about Pakistan needing someone to hold one end to avoid a batting collapse.

This is about grown men idolising individuals because of their fame, or it’s just a fetish.

You’ll only ever see this in South Asia.
 
RizwanT20Champ said:
View attachment 160606

Now show me a comparable one for any other Pak player. I dare you!
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Since I don’t know how to filter this data, would you be happy to share the above with the following adjustments:
- In descending order (latest innings first)
- filtered to only include SENA and India

Not a gotcha, just trying to understand the context of how he’s done recently and the level of attacks he faced during his high s/r performances
 
YousafTheBeast said:
Watch them blame Amir for Babar’s tuktuking.
Click to expand...
It’s case closed. There is no excuse for 44 off 43 against USA especially when he was being told for years in the lead up to this catastrophe that his batting approach is not right

Now he lives in the Hall of Shame for this.
 
Rana said:
It’s case closed. There is no excuse for 44 off 43 against USA especially when he was being told for years in the lead up to this catastrophe that his batting approach is not right

Now he lives in the Hall of Shame for this.
Click to expand...
What did your high strike rate heroes like Usman Khan, Azam Khan, Fakhar etc do in that game? Without Babar you would not have even scored 120.

Such a dumb argument.

Eventually we lost that match because of Rauf and then Amir.

Rauf was the main culprit. Also pointing to one game is such a silly argument even though he played well in that game in the context of the performance of the ret of the lineup.
 
salman24 said:
What did your high strike rate heroes like Usman Khan, Azam Khan, Fakhar etc do in that game? Without Babar you would not have even scored 120.

Such a dumb argument.

Eventually we lost that match because of Rauf and then Amir.

Rauf was the main culprit. Also pointing to one game is such a silly argument even though he played well in that game in the context of the performance of the ret of the lineup.
Click to expand...
Babar is the captain

This is his preparation.

This is his plan.

This is his strategy

THIS IS HIS SENTENCE

He built the team this way to have two anchors (him and Rizwan) to lay the foundation. He wanted to $hit the powerplay as always. He is fully responsible for this crap!
 
The OP is comparing Babar with the rest of the Pakistani team.

He’s not comparing Babar with batters from other teams, where quality of T20 batters is much higher.

As long as we stick to this, yes OP is right. Babar DOES make the PAKISTANI team on merit if his role is limited to the sole anchor.

It’s because we dont have others who can score or score at a high pace. When you have a super fragile batting lineup like ours, Babar does make the team. It’s the rest of the batting lineup that also contributes to low totals.

Biggest issue is Salman Ali Agha. Test level strike rate and pathetic average. He’s also your captain!

We also cannot compare Saim Ayub with Babar because strictly limited to T20s Saim has a much higher ceiling and is a natural striker of the ball. On current form Saim again is better.

Sahibzada Farhan is someone who will suck all the momentum out during power play as he only swings to the leg side OR blocks. Extremely easy for opposition to figure him out and you will see it at the World Cup.

Then comes our middle and lower middle order. Absolutely woeful. No natural striker, only quack allrounders like Shadab and Nawaz who will always lose you important matches with their batting.

So yes, does Babar make the team?
Yes.

Does Babar make other top T20 teams? Absolutely NOT.

Some Babar fans start calling him “king” and hype him to the extent that they start comparisons with ATGs like Kohli, etc.

That is what riles up the neutrals and some turn to OTT criticism of Babar because of his blind fans and OTT fanboyism.

Babar is fine for Pakistani standards. Ideally when you have fast scoring batters around him and no second or third anchor like Rizwan.

Babar is not for standards of other top 4 T20 sides.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Pakistan has aggressive anchors, soft anchors, semi aggressive anchors. Everyone that plays fall into one of this group.

Those are the three cases.
 
BouncerGuy said:
There is now way you can convince these babar haters...absolutely no way...

For them 115 strike rate captain is a T20 hero so that sums up the case.

Fakhar has been rubbish in t20s but there is absolutely not a single word about him..

Not gonna say anything until these guys get rid of their glasses of biasness.
Click to expand...
POWT stuff from @salman24 buddy. Please consider
 
Rana said:
Babar is the captain

This is his preparation.

This is his plan.

This is his strategy

THIS IS HIS SENTENCE

He built the team this way to have two anchors (him and Rizwan) to lay the foundation. He wanted to $hit the powerplay as always. He is fully responsible for this crap!
Click to expand...
No one is arguing about how great a captain he was. This is a thread about him as a batsman. He is not captain anymore.

Rauf and Amir lost that match. Babar was the only one that scored. Selectors pick the team btw. You think Babar selected Imad and Amir after they were blasting him on tv prior to that. You also think on those pitches Pakistani bowlers couldn't have defended 160 against USA? Please grow up.

I guarantee you if you had some other clown in the powerplay they would gone out cheaply and we would've scored less than 120.
 
Concerned said:
For an opener to be playing for nearly 10 years and to have a strike rate of 128 is poor.

Is 154 an average score in today’s game - that’s what Babar is getting you to.
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Obviously people that don't like Babar don't know much about the game. All the big experts and former players rate Babar so it shows the mentality of who actually knows the game and rates him.

The longer you play the harder it is to maintain a higher strike rate. Guys that haven't played as many games and have lower strike rates should be ashamed.
 
Devadwal said:
Babar is World class T20 batsman - No

Babar is comparable to other top team players - No

Babar is comparable to other Pakistan player's - Yes

Babar deserved to Play for Pakistan -yes

:kp
Click to expand...
Deserved -yes
Deserves -No

So you know letter at the end changes a lot in English
 
A. T20 game has evolved, babar didn’t evolve with it

B. Babar has lost his reflexes and ability

C. He doesn’t fit even in any decent domestic t20 team currently let alone playing for Pak
 
salman24 said:
Obviously people that don't like Babar don't know much about the game. All the big experts and former players rate Babar so it shows the mentality of who actually knows the game and rates him.

The longer you play the harder it is to maintain a higher strike rate. Guys that haven't played as many games and have lower strike rates should be ashamed.
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Does anyone outside of Pakistan sing praise about the value of T20 Babar.

Even the leagues teams know to avoid
 
Concerned said:
Does anyone outside of Pakistan sing praise about the value of T20 Babar.

Even the leagues teams know to avoid
Click to expand...
That's why he is the most expensive player in the BBL right now. Babar haters really do live in La La Land lol.

He also has the most runs in winning causes in PSL.
 
salman24 said:
That's why he is the most expensive player in the BBL right now. Babar haters really do live in La La Land lol.

He also has the most runs in winning causes in PSL.
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You do know he was on the verge of being dropped from BBL with the PCB preparing to call him back to save face?
 
Fun fact: Babar has better T20I SR than many players who’re considered more aggressive batsmen

Dhoni
Hafeez
Shoaib Malik
Rishab Pant
Ross Taylor
Shikhar Dhawan
JP Duminy
Dilshan
Hetmeyer
Samuels
Litton Das
Mahmadullah
Chandimal

Lol
 
salman24 said:
That's why he is the most expensive player in the BBL right now. Babar haters really do live in La La Land lol.

He also has the most runs in winning causes in PSL.
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And he’s probably been the worst top order batsman in this edition, maybe only surpassed by his best mate
 
Here’s a question about Babar’s strike rate:

So if you know that your so called King doesn’t fit into the modern style of play and you very well know that if he plays he’ll get you a below par score pretty much 9/10 times as history says.

Now, knowing that should you go for a near guaranteed below par score or should you try someone else who can give you a better chance of getting a par or above par score? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result - is that what they say is the definition of insanity?
 
salman24 said:
Obviously people that don't like Babar don't know much about the game. All the big experts and former players rate Babar so it shows the mentality of who actually knows the game and rates him.

The longer you play the harder it is to maintain a higher strike rate. Guys that haven't played as many games and have lower strike rates should be ashamed.
Click to expand...

Is your point that Babar makes the Pakistani team on merit OR that Babar is a world class T20 batsman?

Your first post was all about the former. And that is true, he’s ok for Pakistan’s poor standards and deserves to play. Like andho main kaana raja.

You cannot prove in any way though that he’s a world class t20 batsman. He truly will not make it to any top 3 team.

You can see how badly he’s struggling in the BBL. Second Worst strike rate in the 2026 season . First is Rizwan lol.
 
KingOfPakBreakfast said:
This is really good stuff, a POTW for me. Specifically because it strips away all the side noise from both Babar fans and haters, puts aside his perceived character failings and just looks at the man’s performances objectively.

The only note I have about the above, is that it looks at Babar’s performances in a vacuum, rather than in the context of the Pakistan team. His career s/r would be palatable if:

a) there was regular high impact batting from other batsmen, to cover for Babar’s low s/r; and
b) the bowling attack consistently overperformed, thus defending par scores and bowling out teams for below bar chases.

The reality is that Pakistan are just not in a position to have a) , as we are still in the process of developing talent who can bat at a modern T20 tempo. And it’s frankly ridiculous for b) to happen, because on certain pitches and at certain points, eventually your bowling attack will be taken to the cleaners.

Thus I’d add that it’s not just that he doesn’t fit based on his own batting style and performances, it’s also that it doesn’t mesh with the wider team batting combination.

In an ideal world, Babar could have been Pakistan’s Dawid Malan, and we would be developed some destructive batsmen to complement his consistency. but he just never found that next gear to put a shine on his scores (like a Malan or Kohli, thus getting to a 140ish s/r) and Pakistan never developed the supporting cast to complement him and make those par scores above par.

This, rather than any outside noise, is why he shouldn’t make the t20 team.
Click to expand...
Tbh I can’t take credit for that post, it was a bit of irony for the OP. That was ChatGPT generated using some well known prompt engineering. But I still put in the effort to ask chatGPT to not format and flow it like the usual ChatGPT response!

And it probably does represent some of my views because I set the context
 
zahid01 said:
Problem with babar is he can't muscle the ball he's classical batsmen not suited to t20
Click to expand...

You need at least one classical bat even in T20s. More so in a team like Pak known to collapse.

Yes not too many accumulators though. Just Babar is fine.
Kick out Agha Salman, Rizwan.
 
Hawkeye said:
You need at least one classical bat even in T20s. More so in a team like Pak known to collapse.

Yes not too many accumulators though. Just Babar is fine.
Kick out Agha Salman, Rizwan.
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What position does the “classical” batsman bat in?
 
Hawkeye said:
You need at least one classical bat even in T20s. More so in a team like Pak known to collapse.

Yes not too many accumulators though. Just Babar is fine.
Kick out Agha Salman, Rizwan.
Click to expand...
I think agha can do a better job than babar if I had choice both will be out atleast agha can hit a long ball when he wants to babar is a wimp
 
BreadPakoda said:
Fun fact: Babar has better T20I SR than many players who’re considered more aggressive batsmen

Dhoni
Hafeez
Shoaib Malik
Rishab Pant
Ross Taylor
Shikhar Dhawan
JP Duminy
Dilshan
Hetmeyer
Samuels
Litton Das
Mahmadullah
Chandimal

Lol
Click to expand...
Which of them were considered good T20 players? Dhoni was known for his captaincy and keeping, he only has 2 50s in his entire international career in t20s and was useless as a batsman.

Pant was kicked out of indian T20 team for his numbers

Dhawan is known for his ODI exploits, not T20.

Hafeez was an all-rounder and contributed with ball, particularly bowling during powerplay. So was Malik

Some of the names on the list are pathetic and were forced to retire or were kicked out of the team. They also played many match losing innings.

Yet Babar is considered best batsman in pakistan by his fans. It's telling that a lot of names on your list are keepers or allrounders and very few are pure batsman like Babar.
 
Sachin fan said:
Which of them were considered good T20 players? Dhoni was known for his captaincy and keeping, he only has 2 50s in his entire international career in t20s and was useless as a batsman.

Pant was kicked out of indian T20 team for his numbers

Dhawan is known for his ODI exploits, not T20.

Hafeez was an all-rounder and contributed with ball, particularly bowling during powerplay. So was Malik

Some of the names on the list are pathetic and were forced to retire or were kicked out of the team. They also played many match losing innings.

Yet Babar is considered best batsman in pakistan by his fans. It's telling that a lot of names on your list are keepers or allrounders and very few are pure batsman like Babar.
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Malik is a Pak T20 legend. Dilshan was a T20 pioneer. You’re saying Ross Taylor and Duminy were rubbish?
 
We are arguing about a version of Babar that no longer exists. Yeah at one point he could bat through and get a decent score, especially if helped by a lower order hitter.

Now he consumed balls and dances around scratching for runs.
Pakistan comes first. No player is bigger than the team. The guy had all the opportunity to improve but chose to double down on his style of play and act like the whole world was wrong and he was right.

He had a Messiah complex. Unfortunately those that bought into it still see him as a Messiah. And if you fall into that category I advise you to watch some BBL matches. It is horrible viewing seeing how far behind he is. As a Pakistan fan it's like a horror movie. I watch it from behind my sofa because of the beiziti it is causing our country.
 
BouncerGuy said:
There is now way you can convince these babar haters...absolutely no way...

For them 115 strike rate captain is a T20 hero so that sums up the case.

Fakhar has been rubbish in t20s but there is absolutely not a single word about him..

Not gonna say anything until these guys get rid of their glasses of biasness.
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Because Babar is widely aknowledged as Pakistan’s best. Therefore will be scrutinised more than others.
 
TheSultan said:
Tbh I can’t take credit for that post, it was a bit of irony for the OP. That was ChatGPT generated using some well known prompt engineering. But I still put in the effort to ask chatGPT to not format and flow it like the usual ChatGPT response!

And it probably does represent some of my views because I set the context
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Fair enough, appreciate the transparency 👍🏽.

I think he’ll get picked for the T20 WC squad anyway, based on Hesson’s comments post 1st T20 w/ SL. And I’m fine w/ it. Because of the following:

1) this’ll either be the tournament after which we can conclusively move on from Babar the t20 batsmen, as current performances indicate he’ll likely struggle at no.3 OR

2) He’ll have a complete turnaround and make real meaningful contributions at no.3 (very unlikely).

So, I wanted to have a make a general point about the talk around Babar, which is not aimed at you.

I’ve begun to find the overall Babar discourse pretty tiring (not your posts specifically, which I feel are generally fair), because it’s less about the player and his performances and more about some weird wider context.

The haters will go overboard about his character, personality and personal life, as if they know him like their next door neighbour. I mean, judge the man all you want on his s/r inadequacies and his captaincy failings, but I find personal character attacks incredibly distasteful and more a reflection of the poster themselves. I mean, what does it say about you if you need to log onto an internet forum to slag off somebody’s appearance and demeanour, who doesn’t even know you exist?

His fans though, are little better. They over exaggerate his successes, to the point of silliness. It’s this cult of personality, where Babar’s successes define who we are as Pakistani, when he’s ultimately just another player. I get that he, at one point in time, was in conversation as one of the best in the world, and that made us feel proud as Pakistanis. And he did so by being something very un-Pakistani, which is being coldly consistent, a true unicorn vs the Pakistani constant of being ever mercurial. But he’s clearly plateaued and now regressed and it should be ok to recognise that and move on.

Which is why I’d like us to move on from him in the T20 team, as it’s time for us to form a new t20 identity, before we let other younger talents stagnate further.
 
Concerned said:
You do know he was on the verge of being dropped from BBL with the PCB preparing to call him back to save face?
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Delusional thinking. They are making a lot of money off of him in BBL. You need to evaluate where you get your news.
 
Hawkeye said:
Is your point that Babar makes the Pakistani team on merit OR that Babar is a world class T20 batsman?

Your first post was all about the former. And that is true, he’s ok for Pakistan’s poor standards and deserves to play. Like andho main kaana raja.

You cannot prove in any way though that he’s a world class t20 batsman. He truly will not make it to any top 3 team.

You can see how badly he’s struggling in the BBL. Second Worst strike rate in the 2026 season . First is Rizwan lol.
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I believe he is world class but that’s aatgynebt for a different day. He makes the Pak team unlike why all these delusional posters claim
 
Best part about this thread is that I have seen atleast 30 different such threads in the last 5-6 years. As if anyone can prove their case by adding more stats.

Fact is: Most cricket experts (Gilchrist being the latest) know he has only one gear and say it openly, he doesn't turn up when the chips are down and he accelerates only after 50 when the damage on dot balls is done.

Even so, you can make a case for him to be in the team on the basis that the team itself is pretty 2nd rate. I'd rather experiment away from him for couple of years, win or lose.
 
Corridor of Uncertainty said:
Best part about this thread is that I have seen atleast 30 different such threads in the last 5-6 years. As if anyone can prove their case by adding more stats.

Fact is: Most cricket experts (Gilchrist being the latest) know he has only one gear and say it openly, he doesn't turn up when the chips are down and he accelerates only after 50 when the damage on dot balls is done.

Even so, you can make a case for him to be in the team on the basis that the team itself is pretty 2nd rate. I'd rather experiment away from him for couple of years, win or lose.
Click to expand...
There is no point experimenting without him after the World Cup,

The 2028 T20 World Cup is in Australia
 
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