Can Babar Azam join the group of Fab 4 and make it a Fab 5?

[Aman]

^ correction, Kane's last ton before the one on the road in Hamilton was against Bangladesh. He scored 200* which inflated his record.

All of these have been home, all of the 100s are against minnows or at home on roads. His career record is inflated by this, his record away from home in India, England and Australia (he averages a tick under 50 there but most top batsmen have been feasting in Aus of late because of their flat tracks) there is pretty mediocre for a top batsmen.

 

[Hyperion66]

Exactly, Smith is not in the same category at the moment. He is doing what every batsmen of every generation could have done but wasn't able to do it. Dominate test cricket like no other.

So Babar and Kohli are at same level? If your mission is to insult Kohli, you are successful, I don't think even the most staunch Kohli hater would compare him with a guy barely averaging 40 in test cricket and with less than 5 centuries.

 

[Aman]

So Babar and Kohli are at same level? If your mission is to insult Kohli, you are successful, I don't think even the most staunch Kohli hater would compare him with a guy barely averaging 40 in test cricket and with less than 5 centuries.

Kohli and Smith are all dominant, without a doubt the two best batsmen of this generation.

India and Aus are really fortunate to have them, particularly for Test cricket.

Kohli while amazing in bilaterals is bit of a choker in ICC events. Never dominated one.

 

[Aman]

If you remove WI and Zimbabwe

 

[Hyperion66]

Lol at him being at Kohli's level and second best batsman in the world. He averages 38 in Tests and has 3 100s , the same as Labuschagne who's played half his no.of tests.

He is world class. No doubt. But still has a long way to go to reach the level of Smith/Kohli. He will need a consistent run for a few more months to reach the level of Williamson/Root.

Labuchakhna doesn't have a hype machine behind him working tirelessly to make him look better than he actually is.

No, consistent run for a few months won't nearly be enough. Root and KW built their legacy over years of hard work and dedication, scored runs all over the world against the toughest attacks of their time. One can't just have good run for a few months and snatch it all away. When it comes to test matches, Babar isn't even at the same level of Ros Taylor or Azhar Ali and we are talking about two modern day greats.

 

[Aman]

Labuchakhna doesn't have a hype machine behind him working tirelessly to make him look better than he actually is.

No, consistent run for a few months won't nearly be enough. Root and KW built their legacy over years of hard work and dedication, scored runs all over the world against the toughest attacks of their time. One can't just have good run for a few months and snatch it all away. When it comes to test matches, Babar isn't even at the same level of Ros Taylor or Azhar Ali and we are talking about two modern day greats.

Babar will most likely be ranked higher than Kane and Root across every format by the time the Aus and SL series are concluded.

 

[Square Drive]

The next step for Babar is to bring that Test average in the 45-50 range so that all the petty Indians in this thread can shut up. Should be low-mid 40s by the end of the Bangladesh series.

 

[Mesozoic]

The next step for Babar is to bring that Test average in the 45-50 range so that all the petty Indians in this thread can shut up. Should be low-mid 40s by the end of the Bangladesh series.

No need to get worked up brother. It's genuinely nice to see a world class batsman play for Pakistan in a long time. Many Indians have appreciated him and acknowledge his class. But no need to bring down others who have achieved much much more than what Babar has achieved so far. Overhyping will never end well and as Pakistanis you guys should know this.

 

[Mobashir]

Labuchakhna doesn't have a hype machine behind him working tirelessly to make him look better than he actually is.

No, consistent run for a few months won't nearly be enough. Root and KW built their legacy over years of hard work and dedication, scored runs all over the world against the toughest attacks of their time. One can't just have good run for a few months and snatch it all away. When it comes to test matches, Babar isn't even at the same level of Ros Taylor or Azhar Ali and we are talking about two modern day greats.

I am sure no one said Babar is a better test batsman than Root and Williamson, and that will be a great mistake. They are both wonderful test batsman.

But you did say that Buttler is better than Babar in tests. Yet to give us an explanation about it.

 

[Joseph Gomes]

^ correction, Kane's last ton before the one on the road in Hamilton was against Bangladesh. He scored 200* which inflated his record.

All of these have been home, all of the 100s are against minnows or at home on roads. His career record is inflated by this, his record away from home in India, England and Australia (he averages a tick under 50 there but most top batsmen have been feasting in Aus of late because of their flat tracks) there is pretty mediocre for a top batsmen.

Williamson does have somewhat inflated stats, I agree, Since he plays for NZ, he got to play a lot against teams like Bangladesh. I can't imagine Smith and Kohli's average if they played Bangladesh every 2 years.

 

[JaDed]

Exactly, Smith is not in the same category at the moment. He is doing what every batsmen of every generation could have done but wasn't able to do it. Dominate test cricket like no other.

I know that's what you meant , it's not a mutual thinking on the standing though..

 

[shamaan]

Kohli
Smith
Williamson
Root
Babar

 

[London_Lahori]

There was talk just a month ago of his test average not being good enough, in 4 tests it’s gone from 35 to close to 43!

 

[Ronaldo7]

There was talk just a month ago of his test average not being good enough, in 4 tests it’s gone from 35 to close to 43!

The Aus tour really helped with his confidence

 

[Ronaldo7]

This is a thread for the ages where a 37 averaged batsman hailed as the best thing since sliced bread lol.

The average will be in 40s+ after this series against Sri Lanka than come again.

Lol

 

[London_Lahori]

The Aus tour really helped with his confidence

Coming of age in test cricket.

 

[Hyperion66]

Lol

So you don't find Abid Ali impressive due to him scoring against a poor Lankan attack on a dead pitch but jumping in joy quoting people and shtz when babar does the same against the same attack? yeh toh hadd ho gayi hypocrisy ki

Anyways, good for him and good for your team. I am more impressed with Abid and Shan though for setting up the platform and especially Abid as it is not easy to score after toiling more than half of your career in the crappy domestics and knowing a few failures is enough get you kicked out of the team in favor of some rookie younsta beauty.

 

[Mobashir]

Yes sir understood.

Let's do a country wise breakdown of test bats I would pick over Babar. Making a test XI doesn't make sense as I will have to include bowlers so many deserving bats will be left out.

India: Kohli, Pujara, Rahane, Rohit (Yes, averages more than Babar and Babar is no world beater overseas), Pant (Gave real performances in Eng and Aus, not just few pretty cover drives).

Pak: Azhar, Shafiq (Albeit inconsistent but performed against better bowlers in tougher conditions)

SL : Kusal Perera ( A bit debatable perhaps but he is a match winner on his day)

BD : Shakib (Achieved much more than Babar with the bat)

Aus: Smith, Warner

SA: None

Eng : Root, Stokes (as a pure bat), Butler.

NZ : Kane, Taylor

Sir, can we have an updated version of this please.
I am sure you can ad some players to the list: Labu, Abid and many others.

 

[transparent opacity]

Sir, can we have an updated version of this please.
I am sure you can ad some players to the list: Labu, Abid and many others.

he is not going to add babar if thats what you want. you are expecting too much from a hater

 

[Mobashir]

Yeah, the current form argument is also nonsense. On current form, Kohli scored 250+ against South Africa a couple of Tests ago. Do you think Babar has the temperament to score 250 today?

Or do you think Kohli cannot score 104 in Australia today, a country where he has scored more Test hundreds than any overseas batsman except Tendulkar (both have scored 6).

What exactly do you even mean by current form? Today, yesterday, last month, last week, last year, last two years? Are you aware of Kohli’s Test and ODI record since 2018?

I am sorry but you don’t have an argument. Kohli and Babar are not comparable even on current form, regardless what you mean by “current”.

Furthermore, Kohli at 25 was far more accomplished than Babar at 25.

Let me summarize with the following points:

- Kohli was better than Babar at 25

- Kohli is better than Babar on current form, irrespective of how you define current.

- Kohli will always be better than Babar because Babar will have to pull off something extremely extraordinary to surpass Kohli’s legacy as a batsman.

If I am being generous, I would say that Babar has about 1% chance of becoming a bigger batsman than Kohli.

I don't often base my thinking on stats but if you look at the statistics of both Babar and Virat in 2019 you can also see the "on current form they are at the same level".

Tests:
Babar: 6 tests, 11 innings, 616 runs @68,44 with 3 hundreds, 3 fifties, SR - 72,30
Kohli : 8 tests, 11 innings, 612 runs @ 68,22 with 2 hundreds, 2 fifties, SR - 63,28

ODI's :
Babar : 1092 runs in 20 inns @60,66 with 3 hundreds, 6 fifties- SR - 92-30
Kohli : 1377 runs in 25 innings @59,86 with 5 hundreds, 7 fifties - SR 96,36.

T20's :
Babar : 10 innings 374 runs @ 41, 55 with 4 fifties - SR 136,99
Kohli - 10 innings 466 runs@ 77,66 with 5 fifties - SR 147,93

So it's about the same in every format apart for the average in T20's. But that's not a that big factor.

In Tests if we analyse both performances, Babar is ahead, Kohli failed in all 5 innings away from home and scored 2 hundreds at home against SA and Bangladesh. Babar was more consistent with 3 hundreds and 3 fifties, a hundreds at the gabba against Start, Hazlewood, Cummins and also a 97 there. Babar's SR also makes him a much more dominant batsman.

In ODI's although the Stats are quite the same, but Babar played 5 ODI's in SA and the rest of his games in England (apart from 2 home ODI's). Also Babar having the superior world cup makes him slightly better.

In T20's, stats are quite in favor of Virat and you can argue that he had a better T20 year than Babar. Although I will point out that Babar has 4 fifties, 1 in SA, 1 in England and 2 in Australia against Starc/Cummins. 3 out of Kohli's 50's came against west indies.


Don't even want to go in the who was the better batsman in 2019 between them, just to show that the statement both are at the same level on current form is pretty correct.

 

[Joseph Gomes]

I don't often base my thinking on stats but if you look at the statistics of both Babar and Virat in 2019 you can also see the "on current form they are at the same level".

Tests:
Babar: 6 tests, 11 innings, 616 runs @68,44 with 3 hundreds, 3 fifties, SR - 72,30
Kohli : 8 tests, 11 innings, 612 runs @ 68,22 with 2 hundreds, 2 fifties, SR - 63,28

ODI's :
Babar : 1092 runs in 20 inns @60,66 with 3 hundreds, 6 fifties- SR - 92-30
Kohli : 1377 runs in 25 innings @59,86 with 5 hundreds, 7 fifties - SR 96,36.

T20's :
Babar : 10 innings 374 runs @ 41, 55 with 4 fifties - SR 136,99
Kohli - 10 innings 466 runs@ 77,66 with 5 fifties - SR 147,93

So it's about the same in every format apart for the average in T20's. But that's not a that big factor.

In Tests if we analyse both performances, Babar is ahead, Kohli failed in all 5 innings away from home and scored 2 hundreds at home against SA and Bangladesh. Babar was more consistent with 3 hundreds and 3 fifties, a hundreds at the gabba against Start, Hazlewood, Cummins and also a 97 there. Babar's SR also makes him a much more dominant batsman.

In ODI's although the Stats are quite the same, but Babar played 5 ODI's in SA and the rest of his games in England (apart from 2 home ODI's). Also Babar having the superior world cup makes him slightly better.

In T20's, stats are quite in favor of Virat and you can argue that he had a better T20 year than Babar. Although I will point out that Babar has 4 fifties, 1 in SA, 1 in England and 2 in Australia against Starc/Cummins. 3 out of Kohli's 50's came against west indies.


Don't even want to go in the who was the better batsman in 2019 between them, just to show that the statement both are at the same level on current form is pretty correct.

2019 has been the worst year for Kohli since 2015. Even then he's this good in all formats.

 

[Ronaldo7]

So you don't find Abid Ali impressive due to him scoring against a poor Lankan attack on a dead pitch but jumping in joy quoting people and shtz when babar does the same against the same attack? yeh toh hadd ho gayi hypocrisy ki

Anyways, good for him and good for your team. I am more impressed with Abid and Shan though for setting up the platform and especially Abid as it is not easy to score after toiling more than half of your career in the crappy domestics and knowing a few failures is enough get you kicked out of the team in favor of some rookie younsta beauty.

Doesn't matter what i think.
I may have something personal against Abid you don't know that do you?

I don't rate his innings against Sri Lanka that much because i know he can score equally as good against the top sides. But the fact is that you keep on criticising him and he keeps on shutting you up.

 

[jiduguravindra]

2019 has been the worst year for Kohli since 2015. Even then he's this good in all formats.

Babar's best year on par with kohli's worst year.

 

[Waleed93]

Babar's best year on par with kohli's worst year.

Kohli's worst year was certainly 2015.

 

[Ronaldo7]

Babar's best year on par with kohli's worst year.

How old was Kohli in 2015?

and how old is Babar now?

That should give you your answer.

Babar is 25. Kohli is 31.

 

[Ronaldo7]

Babar's best year on par with kohli's worst year.

Also, 2019 isn't even Kohli's worst year lol

It's actually one of his best.

This year his average is 63, which is his second best average in a year and this year he also made his highest score of 254.

Just admit that Babar outperformed him. Don't try to undermine Babar's performance by saying that this was Kohli's worst year when in fact it was actually one of his best.

 

[Nadeem98]

These frivolous comparisons need to stop. He has just turned 25 and is already in the top 6 for all formats. If he keeps on working hard, Babar can become an all-time-great. He is extremely hungry to make runs in all conditions to win matches for Pakistan. His solid base, side-on stance, wonderful hand-eye coordination and God given timing are a recipe for greatness if and only if he is relentless in his pursuit of perfection . The only thing he needs to develop is a killer instinct. This is where he can take a leaf out of the Fab 4 book. Where they excel is a work ethic bordering on the insane. Ten more years of ceaseless mental and physical work resulting in more singles and doubles, longer innings, better conversion rate and constant refinement of his game should see him securely placed among the pantheon of legends.

 

[andy0204]

Also, 2019 isn't even Kohli's worst year lol

It's actually one of his best.

This year his average is 63, which is his second best average in a year and this year he also made his highest score of 254.

Just admit that Babar outperformed him. Don't try to undermine Babar's performance by saying that this was Kohli's worst year when in fact it was actually one of his best.

You are right it's not his worst year infact his worst year was when he was debutant in test cricket.

 

[chinaman00]

I don't often base my thinking on stats but if you look at the statistics of both Babar and Virat in 2019 you can also see the "on current form they are at the same level".

Tests:
Babar: 6 tests, 11 innings, 616 runs @68,44 with 3 hundreds, 3 fifties, SR - 72,30
Kohli : 8 tests, 11 innings, 612 runs @ 68,22 with 2 hundreds, 2 fifties, SR - 63,28

ODI's :
Babar : 1092 runs in 20 inns @60,66 with 3 hundreds, 6 fifties- SR - 92-30
Kohli : 1377 runs in 25 innings @59,86 with 5 hundreds, 7 fifties - SR 96,36.

T20's :
Babar : 10 innings 374 runs @ 41, 55 with 4 fifties - SR 136,99
Kohli - 10 innings 466 runs@ 77,66 with 5 fifties - SR 147,93

So it's about the same in every format apart for the average in T20's. But that's not a that big factor.

In Tests if we analyse both performances, Babar is ahead, Kohli failed in all 5 innings away from home and scored 2 hundreds at home against SA and Bangladesh. Babar was more consistent with 3 hundreds and 3 fifties, a hundreds at the gabba against Start, Hazlewood, Cummins and also a 97 there. Babar's SR also makes him a much more dominant batsman.

In ODI's although the Stats are quite the same, but Babar played 5 ODI's in SA and the rest of his games in England (apart from 2 home ODI's). Also Babar having the superior world cup makes him slightly better.

In T20's, stats are quite in favor of Virat and you can argue that he had a better T20 year than Babar. Although I will point out that Babar has 4 fifties, 1 in SA, 1 in England and 2 in Australia against Starc/Cummins. 3 out of Kohli's 50's came against west indies.


Don't even want to go in the who was the better batsman in 2019 between them, just to show that the statement both are at the same level on current form is pretty correct.

Excellent post!

Men lie. Women lie. Numbers don’t. We’re lucky to be living in the Babar era

 

[King_Kohli]

Also, 2019 isn't even Kohli's worst year lol

It's actually one of his best.

This year his average is 63, which is his second best average in a year and this year he also made his highest score of 254.

Just admit that Babar outperformed him. Don't try to undermine Babar's performance by saying that this was Kohli's worst year when in fact it was actually one of his best.

Yes, with big margin

 

[King_Kohli]

Excellent post!

Men lie. Women lie. Numbers don’t. We’re lucky to be living in the Babar era

Hold on..
There are many people before and Kohli in the list (in tests)

 

[Nadeem98]

Kohli did not get to bat for long during the world cup. Rohit was dominating, so he was happy to play the second fiddle and sometimes even third when Dhawan/Rahul were going well.

Babar played less matches than Messrs WIlliamson, Kohli, Root and Sharma etc.

 

[King_Kohli]

Babar played less matches than Messrs WIlliamson, Kohli, Root and Sharma etc.

He played 1 match less than Kohli
Babar and Shakib al played same matches

 

[Nadeem98]

Excellent post!

Men lie. Women lie. Numbers don’t. We’re lucky to be living in the Babar era

Beautiful post. Also, the runs were roughly equal
for T20s. Kohli had more not outs - probably comes lower in the line up than Babar or something.

 

[Nadeem98]

He played 1 match less than Kohli
Babar and Shakib al played same matches

So he played the same number of matches as Root, Kohli, Williamson and Sharma?

 

[shamaan]

Babar is on the same level as kohli,smith,williamson 100 percent

 

[Mesozoic]

Babar is on the same level as kohli,smith,williamson 100 percent

Williamson ...yeah I agree.

Kohli and Smith ? Hell no.

Kohli in LOI's and Smith in Tests are miles ahead of him. Other formats, they are pretty much at the same level.

 

[jiduguravindra]

Also, 2019 isn't even Kohli's worst year lol

It's actually one of his best.

This year his average is 63, which is his second best average in a year and this year he also made his highest score of 254.

Just admit that Babar outperformed him. Don't try to undermine Babar's performance by saying that this was Kohli's worst year when in fact it was actually one of his best.

I never undermine Babar's performances, in fact I really enjoy watching him bat.He is certainly top 3 in limited overs format but in test he just started scoring runs.Rather than calling him best or on par with already proved seasoned players is not correct.

In my opinion he is the best young batsmen in international cricket, with consistent performances in test for atleast 2 to 3 years makes him one among the best.

 

[Mobashir]

2019 has been the worst year for Kohli since 2015. Even then he's this good in all formats.

Babar's best year on par with kohli's worst year.

Actually I am not comparing Babar Azam and Virat Kohli as overall players. If you followed the thread a little bit you should know that I was quite mocked for saying : "On current form Babar and Kohli are at roughly the same level, behind Smith".
When I wrote this, Babar's test stats in 2019 weren't that great so fans not really watching cricket found it ridiculous.

Quite funny that at the end of the year, statistically in both test and ODI's they are so close to each other.

 

[Ahmed4472]

I never undermine Babar's performances, in fact I really enjoy watching him bat.He is certainly top 3 in limited overs format but in test he just started scoring runs.Rather than calling him best or on par with already proved seasoned players is not correct.

In my opinion he is the best young batsmen in international cricket, with consistent performances in test for atleast 2 to 3 years makes him one among the best.

This. He still has a long way to go and seems likely he will get there.

 

[Rayyman]

Babar is a Top 10 batsman in the world. But he is not on the same level as the Fab 4. He is in the tier directly below them. As good, if not better than Ross Taylor and Faf du Plessis.

He’ll become the best batsman in the world in 3-4 years. After that, he’ll dominate world cricket. He’s on another level now, but there is one more step. Expect Babar to average 60+ in all formats in his prime years.

 

[Ab Fan]

Good to see him finally making it to Quinton de Kock level in tests. He is still far behind de Kock in ODIs though. de Kock has a highest of 178*(120) Vs Australia.So, will have to wait more.

 

[BreadPakoda]

Good to see him finally making it to Quinton de Kock level in tests. He is still far behind de Kock in ODIs though. de Kock has a highest of 178*(120) Vs Australia.So, will have to wait more.

De Kock can win you matches from nowhere. He’s a very explosive batsman. Unfair to compare with Babar who is an accumulator quite like Hashim Amla.

 

[Hyperion66]

De Kock can win you matches from nowhere. He’s a very explosive batsman. Unfair to compare with Babar who is an accumulator quite like Hashim Amla.

Amla had an amazing peak in ODI, I don't think Babar can match that even on his current form. Let's see how he does in 2020.

 

[Mobashir]

Yes sir understood.

Let's do a country wise breakdown of test bats I would pick over Babar. Making a test XI doesn't make sense as I will have to include bowlers so many deserving bats will be left out.

India: Kohli, Pujara, Rahane, Rohit (Yes, averages more than Babar and Babar is no world beater overseas), Pant (Gave real performances in Eng and Aus, not just few pretty cover drives).

Pak: Azhar, Shafiq (Albeit inconsistent but performed against better bowlers in tougher conditions)

SL : Kusal Perera ( A bit debatable perhaps but he is a match winner on his day)

BD : Shakib (Achieved much more than Babar with the bat)

Aus: Smith, Warner

SA: None

Eng : Root, Stokes (as a pure bat), Butler.

NZ : Kane, Taylor

Amla had an amazing peak in ODI, I don't think Babar can match that even on his current form. Let's see how he does in 2020.

Already asked a few times, but maybe you missed it.

Does your list still stand, or can we have the latest version of it?

Or maybe, you can just recognize you got it wrong and you were too emotional. That will not harm you!

 

[Hyperion66]

Already asked a few times, but maybe you missed it.

Does your list still stand, or can we have the latest version of it?

Or maybe, you can just recognize you got it wrong and you were too emotional. That will not harm you!

What are you on about man? The hell you want? Yes the list still stands except for Kusal Perera, it was a debatable pick anyways. BTW good performance in two serieses don't mean much in my book, he has to continue scoring like that for at least a year then only we will get to know if the current performances are flukey purple patch or he genuinely is that good. Meanwhile you can play the Babar dhol all you want and feel free to pollute this forum with noise.

 

[Ronaldo7]

What are you on about man? The hell you want? Yes the list still stands except for Kusal Perera, it was a debatable pick anyways. BTW good performance in two serieses don't mean much in my book, he has to continue scoring like that for at least a year then only we will get to know if the current performances are flukey purple patch or he genuinely is that good. Meanwhile you can play the Babar dhol all you want and feel free to pollute this forum with noise.

How is Butler better than Babar in Tests?

 

[Hyperion66]

How is Butler better than Babar in Tests?

Likes of Butler, De kok, Pant, Stokes etc are impact players, you don't judge them by looking at their average. Butler was instrumental in England winning the 5th test against India and the last ashes test against Australia this year. Players like him can take the game away in a matter of a session. Purely a personal pick, I don't think he has even achieved half his potential. In my test XI I will have him or Pant at the lower middle order, I will already have the likes of Kohli and Smith so I don't think I will have a place for Babar.

If you read my original post carefully, I said players that I would pick over Babar and that hinted personal preferences. I hope this explains.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Real peak is when you score a couple of 1000 plus each year. Babar played 11 innings this year made 616 runs in supposedly the best year of his career. This is after failing for 2 or 3 years. Mayank in his debut year made 754 in 11 innings. Labu has made over 1000 runs in 15 innings in his debut year. Can't speak of Labu. But i will no way project Mayank to be an ATG in the making based on this. Need 2 or 3 more good years before even going there.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Good to see him finally making it to Quinton de Kock level in tests. He is still far behind de Kock in ODIs though. de Kock has a highest of 178*(120) Vs Australia.So, will have to wait more.

Quinton isn't fit to clean Babar's shoes.

 

[Ronaldo7]

Real peak is when you score a couple of 1000 plus each year. Babar played 11 innings this year made 616 runs in supposedly the best year of his career. This is after failing for 2 or 3 years. Mayank in his debut year made 754 in 11 innings. Labu has made over 1000 runs in 15 innings in his debut year. Can't speak of Labu. But i will no way project Mayank to be an ATG in the making based on this. Need 2 or 3 more good years before even going there.

Mayank's stats have been inflated due to him scoring against Bangladesh. Sri Lanka is definitely not as bad as Bangladesh.

How many runs away from home has he made this year??

iirc, he's only played one or two matches in SENA.

Labu played well but he's only been to England and didn't even score a hundred there.

Babar's been performing SINCE 2018. He even scored a 90 against NZ and remained not out despite him batting at no.3 in that innings.

Labu only started to perform this year.
Mayank made his debut in late 2018

Babar definitely has to prove that he's a world class bat but it is a bit unfair to compare him with these two.

 

[BreadPakoda]

Amla had an amazing peak in ODI, I don't think Babar can match that even on his current form. Let's see how he does in 2020.

Of course. I was referring to the batting style. Babar is light years behind Amla as of now.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Mayank's stats have been inflated due to him scoring against Bangladesh. Sri Lanka is definitely not as bad as Bangladesh.

How many runs away from home has he made this year??

iirc, he's only played one or two matches in SENA.

Labu played well but he's only been to England and didn't even score a hundred there.

Babar's been performing SINCE 2018. He even scored a 90 against NZ and remained not out despite him batting at no.3 in that innings.

Labu only started to perform this year.
Mayank made his debut in late 2018

Babar definitely has to prove that he's a world class bat but it is a bit unfair to compare him with these two.

Mayank opened in Boxing day test. I am not add even adding those runs to this year. Second of all how many runs Babar scored against an attack that had 3 proper bowlers on a flat pitch. You sure don't undervalue those runs do you? Babar took a couple of years to even get to this level where as these two guys stamped their mark in the first year. WHy are they inferior?

 

[Ronaldo7]

Mayank opened in Boxing day test. I am not add even adding those runs to this year. Second of all how many runs Babar scored against an attack that had 3 proper bowlers on a flat pitch. You sure don't undervalue those runs do you? Babar took a couple of years to even get to this level where as these two guys stamped their mark in the first year. WHy are they inferior?

They stamped their mark at home. Labu in particular.

Mayank played well in Aus but nothing exceptional. He made a 70.

Labu on the other hand failed in Dubai and made decent runs in England but was averaging high 30s before the Pakistan series. Now look at what he's averaging.

Babar had to face tough bowlers at the start of his career. He scored 90 in NZ and 60 in Eng which were two good innings. But due to his failures early on he found it hard to recover.

Mayank's runs have been inflated due to his 200 odd against Bangladesh and you can't deny that.

Also, Labu's runs have also been inflated due to him bashing a minnow level pakistan bowling attack at home.

Babar scored against Sri Lanka which has inflated his runs a bit too but he scored a hundred and a 97 in Aus, a 90 in NZ and a 60 in England (he got injured) before that.

 

[jnaveen1980]

They stamped their mark at home. Labu in particular.

Mayank played well in Aus but nothing exceptional. He made a 70.

Labu on the other hand failed in Dubai and made decent runs in England but was averaging high 30s before the Pakistan series. Now look at what he's averaging.

Babar had to face tough bowlers at the start of his career. He scored 90 in NZ and 60 in Eng which were two good innings. But due to his failures early on he found it hard to recover.

Mayank's runs have been inflated due to his 200 odd against Bangladesh and you can't deny that.

Also, Labu's runs have also been inflated due to him bashing a minnow level pakistan bowling attack at home.

Babar scored against Sri Lanka which has inflated his runs a bit too but he scored a hundred and a 97 in Aus, a 90 in NZ and a 60 in England (he got injured) before that.

It is not like Babar didn't get to play easy opposition for 3 years. This is the first year he is showing some promise. I am not going to undervalue any of his runs. Even the ones against Srilankans. Good players make their form count. Kudos to him. Same for any other players. Labu can easily throw his wicket away in this match nobody is going to question him. He is making use of his good form. Same way with Agarwal. As a young guy making his debut in Boxing day test against Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood is always going to be challenging. He didn't look out of place from ball 1. After a brief slump, he came back to form against SA. He is making it count. The two fifties by Labu as a concussion substitute showed his class. Every one around him fell for cheap scores. He hasn't looked back since.

 

[Hyperion66]

Of course. I was referring to the batting style. Babar is light years behind Amla as of now.

Homeless man's Amla as of now.

 

[Bullet Drive]

Babar needs another year to be in that list.

 

[Joseph Gomes]

Babar will be in his own list. Fabulous 4 is nonsense anyway, Smith and Kohli are incomparably better than Root and Williamson. Williamson especially is a big stat padder.

 

[Ab Fan]

Quinton isn't fit to clean Babar's shoes.

Nope, he is the next SA great in making. The best under 30 batsmen in the world right now.

 

[Ronaldo7]

Nope, he is the next SA great in making. The best under 30 batsmen in the world right now.

A bit OTT don't you think?

 

[Ab Fan]

A bit OTT don't you think?

Not really. He is a regular wicket keeper for his team. Never easy for wicket keeper to come at 7 and hit hundreds for fun. He performs quite often when team is 5 down at a relatively fewer score on board. He should get to 8000 test runs@20+ hundreds as one of the greatest wicket keeper batsmen of all-time.

 

[Ronaldo7]

Not really. He is a regular wicket keeper for his team. Never easy for wicket keeper to come at 7 and hit hundreds for fun. He performs quite often when team is 5 down at a relatively fewer score on board. He should get to 8000 test runs@20+ hundreds as one of the greatest wicket keeper batsmen of all-time.

He's hit 5 hundreds in 72 innings so wouldn't say he's hitting them for fun tbh

 

[Ab Fan]

He's hit 5 hundreds in 72 innings so wouldn't say he's hitting them for fun tbh

I didn't say he is hitting them for fun. I meant it's just not wicket keeper's game to bat at 7 & hit hundreds for fun. Most of the times they will have to happy with 50s ,heck we talk about how hard it is for a no.5 or no.6 to be a prolific scored of the game, so for Qdk, it's even harder. Gilly got 15 hundreds only in his career and no other full-time wicket keeper has more or anywhere close to it.

Qdk is 27 and his peak days are about to come. He will carry the SA lineup and win his team matches the way Gilly did for Australia at no 7 & keep the good work with gloves as well.

 

[Titan24]

When people are comparing Rahul, QDK, Labu, Hope etc with one guy who is Babar Azam. It shows that how much people are trying to find someone comparable to him. So its pretty evident who is the clear winner in my opinion i.e if anybody had doubts previously to start with and thought the test rankings and stats lie.

 

[Ronaldo7]

I didn't say he is hitting them for fun. I meant it's just not wicket keeper's game to bat at 7 & hit hundreds for fun. Most of the times they will have to happy with 50s ,heck we talk about how hard it is for a no.5 or no.6 to be a prolific scored of the game, so for Qdk, it's even harder. Gilly got 15 hundreds only in his career and no other full-time wicket keeper has more or anywhere close to it.

Qdk is 27 and his peak days are about to come. He will carry the SA lineup and win his team matches the way Gilly did for Australia at no 7 & keep the good work with gloves as well.

Fair enough.

He is a very good player

 

[AamchiMumbaikar]

QdK is the best all format batsman outside fab 4 ATM. Babar is a close 2nd.

 

[Abdullah719]

QdK is the best all format batsman outside fab 4 ATM. Babar is a close 2nd.

This is QdK's record over the past couple of years:

Played 5 Tests in Asia and averaged 20 there.

 

[Ronaldo7]

QdK is the best all format batsman outside fab 4 ATM. Babar is a close 2nd.

The stats show otherwise.

He hasn't done much in the last two years in ODIs. He didn't even average 50 in 2019 or 2018. He actually averaged 32 in 2018. While Babar averaged 60 with a strinke rate of 90 this year.

He's barely played any T20is and has a similar strike rate compared to Babar in 2018 and 2019.

In Tests, he failed miserably in 2018 and has done alright this year. While Babar's performed well in the last two years in test matches.

Babar may not be the best all format player outside of the Fab 4 (probably Rohit is the guy) but he's been better than QDK if you consider all the formats in the last 2-3 years.

 

[Abdullah719]

The stats show otherwise.

He hasn't done much in the last two years in ODIs. He didn't even average 50 in 2019 or 2018. He actually averaged 32 in 2018. While Babar averaged 60 with a strinke rate of 90 this year.

He's barely played any T20is and has a similar strike rate compared to Babar in 2018 and 2019.

In Tests, he failed miserably in 2018 and has done alright this year. While Babar's performed well in the last two years in test matches.

Babar may not be the best all format player outside of the Fab 4 (probably Rohit is the guy) but he's been better than QDK if you consider all the formats in the last 2-3 years.

Babar has more runs in one World Cup than QdK has in two.

 

[Ronaldo7]

Babar has more runs in one World Cup than QdK has in two.

He scored so few runs in that WC that I can't even see his name in the CWC15 runscorers list lol.

He scored 145 in 8 innings. This has actually been inflated due to his unbeaten 70 odd against Sri Lanka. So he actually scored 67 in 7 innings if you exclude the Sri Lanka game.

What a disappointing WC that was for him.

 

[AamchiMumbaikar]

Qdk went through a horrible patch in the last 1.5 years. In terms of potential n records prior to that he is right up there.

 

[Titan24]

Qdk went through a horrible patch in the last 1.5 years. In terms of potential n records prior to that he is right up there.

Batting at no 7 is completely different from batting at no 4. Ball is older and easier to negotiate. So unless QDK starts coming up the order I dont think it’s comparable. That is why you rarely see Ghilchrist being compared to Ponting, Kaliis, Tendu, Inzi, Lara etc in tests despite him having a decent record at no 7.

 

[Nadeem98]

Batting at no 7 is completely different from batting at no 4. Ball is older and easier to negotiate. So unless QDK starts coming up the order I dont think it’s comparable. That is why you rarely see Ghilchrist being compared to Ponting, Kaliis, Tendu, Inzi, Lara etc in tests despite him having a decent record at no 7.

Although Gilchrist would often have to negotiate the second new ball too, coming at 350 odd for 5.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Qdk went through a horrible patch in the last 1.5 years. In terms of potential n records prior to that he is right up there.

QDK is a very talented player. But his role is different. Mostly will play the role of counter-attacking.

 

[Titan24]

Although Gilchrist would often have to negotiate the second new ball too, coming at 350 odd for 5.

True because his team was usually good enough for him to generally have to bat during those times. However still by the time second new ball comes match situation isnt the same; bowlers of the opposition are tired and their are quite a few runs on the board for the team so definitely the pressure is different than playing at 40/2 against fresh bowlers.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Nope, he is the next SA great in making. The best under 30 batsmen in the world right now.

Lmao. Funny guy.

 

[Abdullah719]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Love him. Look forward to when he travels to England and South Africa next. If he has success in those regions in test cricket then he will be in the top three for all formats. White ball definitely in my best XI's <a href="https://t.co/wHKtSQDt8g">https://t.co/wHKtSQDt8g</a></p>— Brad Hogg (@Brad_Hogg) <a href="https://twitter.com/Brad_Hogg/status/1212694499727511552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Mobashir]

Likes of Butler, De kok, Pant, Stokes etc are impact players, you don't judge them by looking at their average. Butler was instrumental in England winning the 5th test against India and the last ashes test against Australia this year. Players like him can take the game away in a matter of a session. Purely a personal pick, I don't think he has even achieved half his potential. In my test XI I will have him or Pant at the lower middle order, I will already have the likes of Kohli and Smith so I don't think I will have a place for Babar.

If you read my original post carefully, I said players that I would pick over Babar and that hinted personal preferences. I hope this explains.

So Buttler is an impact player and a match winner in test according to you?

A post of yours from septembre 19 regarding Buttler from another thread :

Modern day bottler and Bairstow too, both got all the talent in this world yet bottle it up more often than not.

So make up your mind regarding Buttler.

 

[FreePalestine]

I am really happy to see the way he is developing. I would definitely rather have Babar than Joe Root in my test, ODI, T20 teams. Hopefully he will continue to go from strength to strength.

P.S - I just read a thread complaining about Indian posters on PP - I haven’t read through all of them here, but apart from a few unfair members on here, most of the Indian posters I read on this thread have reasonable views. So [MENTION=2016]Rana[/MENTION], don’t worry, be happy

 

[light]

So Buttler is an impact player and a match winner in test according to you?

A post of yours from septembre 19 regarding Buttler from another thread :


So make up your mind regarding Buttler.

How in the world do you remember a random post from september? Do you have photographic memory? Lol