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Can Babar Azam rise to the number 1 position in the ICC Test batting rankings?

I don't think Babar can reach the summit of the ICC Test Rankings. He can't even score vs an awful Zimbabwe side but the deluded fans will still compare him with Kohli. This series was his best chance to score a 150 in test matches but he has bottled it here as well just like on so many other occasions. Babar is a mentally weak player, he will score a lot of runs in shorter formats (without much impact) but in Test matches :facepalm

I'd be surprised if Babar surpassed Azhar Ali's achievements by the end of his Test career.
 
He was, He is and he will be an average test player.
A real softie and overrated.
 
ChTab said:
I don't think Babar can reach the summit of the ICC Test Rankings. He can't even score vs an awful Zimbabwe side but the deluded fans will still compare him with Kohli. This series was his best chance to score a 150 in test matches but he has bottled it here as well just like on so many other occasions. Babar is a mentally weak player, he will score a lot of runs in shorter formats (without much impact) but in Test matches :facepalm

I'd be surprised if Babar surpassed Azhar Ali's achievements by the end of his Test career.
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Exactly!!! Babar doesn't have enough depth to be successful in test.
 
Emotional fans react too quickly.
A few failures mean nothing.
Babar is top 5 test material and will bounce back soon.
 
Farabi said:
Emotional fans react too quickly.
A few failures mean nothing.
Babar is top 5 test material and will bounce back soon.
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There's nothing to bounce back from. He has no noteworthy innings in test cricket besides that 100 in Aus maybe
 
I think we can conclude that Babar is not a minnow basher.
 
TheNightWatchman said:
There's nothing to bounce back from. He has no noteworthy innings in test cricket besides that 100 in Aus maybe
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Test cricket is not an easy place, most top batsmen get to the top after 50 Tests.
Kohli was averaging 43ish after his first 70 innings, despite getting to play at home and scoring massively. Something Babar has enjoyed a bit since 2020.
Williamson averaged 38 after his first 65 innings.
 
Babar Azam should get some advice from Hafeez on how to negotiate Zimbabwe’s fiery pacers - many a Zimbabwean bowler have had nightmares about bowling at Hafeez in his prime.
 
Shoaib Akhtar has a point

“Worrying point is again Babar Azam because he is not scoring runs. Against this [Zimbabwe] team, he has to wait for his turn because first opener and then Azhar Ali played long innings. Babar has to wear his pads and be ready during that time, which is the best and worst part of Test cricket. You have to sit and watch with concentration and you can’t talk much as well. So, basically you are in a quarantine within a quarantine. Babar should have scored atleast 300-400 runs during this series"

“Sometimes it happens that you can’t score runs but I’m sure Babar is trying his best. We expect a lot from him so we should try to stay positive"
 
I haven't checked Babar's scores in matches just played before this Zim series. Not sure if he is really struggling.

But I won't write him off on basis of two innings failure. That happens with all good players. Why so much criticism.
 
Babar is not making good decisions with his shots it seems or is not judging the pitch correctly - something is amiss.

<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 46.910%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/69541y" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>
 
MenInG said:
Babar is not making good decisions with his shots it seems or is not judging the pitch correctly - something is amiss.

<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 46.910%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/69541y" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>
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They've both been soft dismissals and honestly if you watch most of his innings in test cricket, they're more often soft dismissals than the bowler bowling some great deliveries. Probably lack of patience?
 
Thanos said:
I haven't checked Babar's scores in matches just played before this Zim series. Not sure if he is really struggling.

But I won't write him off on basis of two innings failure. That happens with all good players. Why so much criticism.
Click to expand...

Because he is capable of so much better. This was the opportunity for him to hone his skills in test cricket. Learn how to make daddy 100s and what not and so far it's just been the same old soft dismissals.
 
Unless he does something good in the 2nd innings of this Test, he's heading out of the top 10.
 
Not scoring against Zim is not a big deal. The problem is that his overall avg is in early 40s.
 
Thanos said:
I haven't checked Babar's scores in matches just played before this Zim series. Not sure if he is really struggling.

But I won't write him off on basis of two innings failure. That happens with all good players. Why so much criticism.
Click to expand...

Other than for average boosting reasons, it doesn’t make a difference whether he had scored two centuries or got two ducks in this series.

Babar’s real test and where he can truly build his legacy as a test player is now in the next WTC.
 
cricketjoshila said:
Not scoring against Zim is not a big deal. The problem is that his overall avg is in early 40s.
Click to expand...

I won't expect his average to increase at all if I'm being honest.

His FC average is also in the early 40s, and in most cases, a player's average in test cricket is closely related to his average in FC cricket.

He has time on his side, but he will need to work exceptionally hard.
 
UzmanBeast said:
I won't expect his average to increase at all if I'm being honest.

His FC average is also in the early 40s, and in most cases, a player's average in test cricket is closely related to his average in FC cricket.

He has time on his side, but he will need to work exceptionally hard.
Click to expand...

Usually a batsman's Test avg is less than the FC avg. There are few exceptions.

What will be interesting to see, is what is Babbar's FC avg if you remove the tests. He has played 36 FC games outside tests.

Babbar is turning 27 in a few months i believe. Lets see how he goes.
 
Disappointing series for Babar as he easily could've scored at least one big hundred. He needs to work on his temperament in his test match batting, but overall I'm not too concerned as he's too good a batsman to not rectify this. The thing that's stood out for me this series is that despite Babar's failures, Pakistan still managed to rack up scores of 426 and 510 in each test, showcasing the depth of the batting. Yes it's Zimbabwe and the real test is against teams like Aus/NZ/Eng but you gotta lay some form of foundation and from positions 3 to 8 being Azhar, Babar, Fawad, Rizwan, Faheem, Nauman, it's pretty impressive that minus Babar they all have scored runs in recent times (openers are still a question mark though).
 
TeamPak95 said:
Disappointing series for Babar as he easily could've scored at least one big hundred. He needs to work on his temperament in his test match batting, but overall I'm not too concerned as he's too good a batsman to not rectify this. The thing that's stood out for me this series is that despite Babar's failures, Pakistan still managed to rack up scores of 426 and 510 in each test, showcasing the depth of the batting. Yes it's Zimbabwe and the real test is against teams like Aus/NZ/Eng but you gotta lay some form of foundation and from positions 3 to 8 being Azhar, Babar, Fawad, Rizwan, Faheem, Nauman, it's pretty impressive that minus Babar they all have scored runs in recent times (openers are still a question mark though).
Click to expand...

You’re lauding batting depth citing the team scores 426 and 510 but also not acknowledging the role openers played in both of those 2 innings. You take out runs from openers who are a “question mark”, and the team read would read 270 and 300.
 
Very average looking top-10.

Guys like Labu, Rohit, Warner, Nicholls and Pant (as sensational he has been during last few months) don't belong in top-10.
 
Farabi said:
You’re lauding batting depth citing the team scores 426 and 510 but also not acknowledging the role openers played in both of those 2 innings. You take out runs from openers who are a “question mark”, and the team read would read 270 and 300.
Click to expand...

I say question mark for the openers since it still remains to be seen whether they can replicate even a semblance of their performances vs Zimbabwe against bigger opposition. At the very least, Imran and Abid have secured another test series (perhaps maybe another as well) to showcase whether they are truly the test openers for Pakistan for the next WTC cycle. The batting depth comprising of Azhar, Babar, Fawad, Rizwan, Faheem collectively, in recent times (vs NZ away, SA at home, Zimbabwe away), have overall been good.
 
MP2011 said:
Very average looking top-10.

Guys like Labu, Rohit, Warner, Nicholls and Pant (as sensational he has been during last few months) don't belong in top-10.
Click to expand...

That makes things worse for Babar for now. He is considered better batsman than players you mentioned above. Babar should be above them in ranking.
I guess his time will come.
 
Thanos said:
That makes things worse for Babar for now. He is considered better batsman than players you mentioned above. Babar should be above them in ranking.
I guess his time will come.
Click to expand...
True.

This is best time for Babar to be consistently in top-5 at least with added incentive of him finally being able to play home tests!
 
MP2011 said:
Very average looking top-10.

Guys like Labu, Rohit, Warner, Nicholls and Pant (as sensational he has been during last few months) don't belong in top-10.
Click to expand...

Don't think Babar is a better test batsman than Labuschagne, Sharma, or Pant based on recent form. He should be ahead of the other two though.
 
Last Monetarist said:
Don't think Babar is a better test batsman than Labuschagne, Sharma, or Pant based on recent form. He should be ahead of the other two though.
Click to expand...
He isn't a better bat than all those, at least on current form which shows in his current ranking. However, he has a higher ceiling for sure than quite a few of these current top-10 test batsmen which was my original point!

But long term, I don't see Labu being there in top-10 for far too long. He copies Smith way too much especially in theatrics!

Rohit's ranking should get a sober look post England series.

Pant, I'm bit undecided. However if he can stay in top-10 for some time, it'll be great achievement especially for a WK!
 
LAHORE: Pakistan cricket skipper Babar Azam has impressed fans and critics alike in the ODI format but he still has miles to cover if he plans to match the records of legends Javed Miandad and Zaheer Abbas.

Azam became the first Pakistan cricketer after Mohammad Yousuf to be ranked as the best ODI batsman in the world, after he toppled India’s Virat Kohli to reach the number 1 spot last month. The ICC, after his impressive showing in the recently-held Pakistan-South Africa series, gave him the top spot with 865 points.

However, former batting greats Miandad and Abbas, both considered one of the finest batsmen in the world during their era, secured more points in the world rankings. Dubbed the “Asian Bradman”, Abbas’ 931 points is the most for any Pakistan batsman and second-highest overall, only behind Sir Vivian Richards’ 935 points. Miandad had amassed 910 points at one point in his career.

There’s much to celebrate for Azam, however, as he managed to become the first Pakistan skipper in history to win four opening Test matches as captain. The in-form Pakistani skipper achieved the feat after the green shirts demolished Zimbabwe to clean sweep the two-match Test series, earlier this month.

This was only the sixth time that Pakistan have won six or more consecutive series since 1952 Pakistan defeated South Africa in Tests and T20Is at home earlier this year and then won the T20I and ODI series in the return series before wrapping up the African safari with T20I and Test series wins in Harare. Babar followed his two home Test wins against South Africa with victories by innings margins in Harare.

The number-one ranked ODI batsman will now have a chance to get back to his run-scoring form in red-ball cricket when he captains Pakistan against the West Indies (two Tests) and Bangladesh (two Tests) in August and September, respectively.

https://dailytimes.com.pk/758375/babar-azam-still-behind-miandad-and-zaheer-in-icc-odi-rankings/
 
Yousaf unfazed by Babar's recent lack of runs in Test cricket

The 46-year-old was adamant that being in and out of form was part of the game

Pakistan’s legendary former batsman Mohammad Yousaf, in an interview with Cricket Pakistan, was unfazed by the lack of runs in Test cricket from skipper Babar Azam, in the recent past, while claiming that he will score in the next series.

The 46-year-old was adamant that being in and out of form was part of the game and that Babar Azam would bounce back in the next series.

“Sometimes it happens in cricket. When you are playing cricket on a regular basis, you get some innings where you don’t score a lot of runs. This does not mean that there is a problem. It is a part of the game. Being in and out of form is just part of it. His drills and practices are phenomenal so he will definitely score in the next series,” Yousaf said.

The legendary former batsman stated that Babar Azam had a very sound technique and was working hard towards bettering himself.

“There is no doubt about it. Babar Azam is technically very sound and is working hard. The practice he does is really hard which pays off on the ground. He scores a lot of runs and holds phenomenal rankings in each format of the sport. When you work hard on the abilities that Allah has granted you then you improve day by day. It can be seen by his cricket that how much he is improving over time,” he said.

“Mohammad Rizwan is another example of a player who is improving day by day. Bowling isn’t my domain but you can see that the bowlers are also on an upward trend. Whoever has talent and works hard then Allah helps them improve and rise up,” he concluded.

https://cricketpakistan.com.pk/en/news/detail/yousaf-unfazed-by-babars-recent-lack-of-runs-in-test-cricket
 
Forget number one - he has now dropped out of top 10!

Needs to fix his issues very soon as Pakistan need him for Tests.
 
Definitely.

I may have doubts over his white ball credentials where he has not quite proven to be a gangster.

But in test cricket, he can be a great. He is already the most watchable test batsman in world cricket against pace bowling. Second coming of Tendulkar but i want to see how great of a player of spin bowling he will turn out to be and i need to see if he has it in him to start hitting daddy hundreds.
 
I would still prefer him over kohli who cannot bat for his life when the bowl is swinging and played a pivotal role in our defeat against New Zealand...
 
I'm hoping Bobby and the rest of Pakistan's test team has watched this WTC Final and has ignited, or has increased, the fire inside. This final just goes to show not only the importance of test cricket but the legendary status it provides for players and teams who perform in it.
 
I think Babar Azam could have really benefited from playing alongside one or two top class batsmen in middle order like Inzamam, Younis, Yusuf - not just because they would share the responsibility , but because Babar would have someone to bat alongside and build those 200 run plus partnerships on his way to bigger scores.

As much as we can question Babar the test batsman’s ability for not scoring big 150s and 200s , but in reality how does a batsman get 150s and 200s when he’s got no one able to bat with him for a session or more. His batting colleagues barely last 5 overs before they are out.

People will praise Sehwag for scoring big 100s, 200s and even a triple ton if I recall - but he got those big scores because he also had the likes of Dravid/Laxman/Ganguly and what’s that other chap’s name from Mumbai who gave him freedom to play but also build the big massive 200 run partnerships.

Maybe we need Hafeez and Shoaib Malik back to add some heavyweights to the Pakistani middle order again , to keep Babar company ?
 
Majid Khan said:
I think Babar Azam could have really benefited from playing alongside one or two top class batsmen in middle order like Inzamam, Younis, Yusuf - not just because they would share the responsibility , but because Babar would have someone to bat alongside and build those 200 run plus partnerships on his way to bigger scores.

As much as we can question Babar the test batsman’s ability for not scoring big 150s and 200s , but in reality how does a batsman get 150s and 200s when he’s got no one able to bat with him for a session or more. His batting colleagues barely last 5 overs before they are out.

People will praise Sehwag for scoring big 100s, 200s and even a triple ton if I recall - but he got those big scores because he also had the likes of Dravid/Laxman/Ganguly and what’s that other chap’s name from Mumbai who gave him freedom to play but also build the big massive 200 run partnerships.

Maybe we need Hafeez and Shoaib Malik back to add some heavyweights to the Pakistani middle order again , to keep Babar company ?
Click to expand...

Great post but that last paragraph takes the icing on cake.
 
Last edited:
Babar Azam at 10 in Tests - this series he must use to improve himself in rankings.
 
MenInG said:
Babar Azam at 10 in Tests - this series he must use to improve himself in rankings.
Click to expand...

Needs to go on and get a big hundred in this game and some more in the rest of the series
 
Surprise surprise, Captain Fantastic out again in testing conditions.

Don't insult Javed Miandad, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Saeed Anwar, Younis Khan or Mohammad Yousuf by comparing this mouse to actual legends.

But at least there were some nice shots for the GIF/YouTube compilations.
 
Heading for outside the top 10 at this rate.
 
Babar Azam's last 12 Test innings (since he last scored a century):

69
5
47
11
63*
7
30
77
8
0
2
30

Avg: 31.7
 
Babar has the talent to be a top test batsman, but lacks the temperament to play long innings. Needs to play a county or two to learn to grind it out, the domestic season in Pakistan is not gonna cut it.
 
Markhor said:
Surprise surprise, Captain Fantastic out again in testing conditions.

Don't insult Javed Miandad, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Saeed Anwar, Younis Khan or Mohammad Yousuf by comparing this mouse to actual legends.

But at least there were some nice shots for the GIF/YouTube compilations.
Click to expand...

Still young.

Rahul failed a lot of times and was written off by Indian posters themselves till the knocks he played in this England test series.

Needs more time.

Actually nothing is wrong with him, except his lazy attitude, which causes him to play at deliveries not meant to be played.
 
Don't think he'll be anywhere near the number 1 position in the next two years or something.

Smith, Marnus, Kane and Joe Root all look one level above him in tests. Then there's Rohit and Pant who will be there in the conversation.
 
Babar wants to play his game but test cricket won't allow him.

A session with Richards or Zaheer is in order. These natural stroke makers will teach him how to release the pressure without bogging down or taking unnecessary risks. Babar is in the West Indies, must seek an audience with Richards.
 
It would be great if he could, as it’s been a while since a Pakistani batsman reached no. 1 in test batting rankings - from memory if I recall correctly , Hafeez was the last one some years ago, right ?, what a fine test batsman he was too.
 
Now at 8th in ICC Test Rankings - moving up but very slowly I feel.
 
Excellent innings today to reach his 18th Test 50 - looks set for a big one.

Capture.JPG
 
Last edited:
This is a top knock from Babar but he needs to carry on and get a hundred.

Babar is indeed taking his game to being a great player from being a good player.
 
He is not even among the top 10 Test batsmen. Mentally so weak.
 
Played really well and got a good ball. Generally he still looks too anxious but with these balls and wickets it's understandable.
 
Mamoon said:
He is not even among the top 10 Test batsmen. Mentally so weak.
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For the guy of Babar's caliber, I think he has been disappointing. I dont think he is mentally weak but he struggles to concentrate for long periods. The ball he got today was an exception though -- bowled from wider of the crease and seamed away after pitching is going to be one of the toughest, if not the toughest ball to face.

I am still disappointed how Babar's not played one very big test innings yet. He should have had at least one double so far. His biggest nemesis is restarting the innings the next day where here he just struggles to survive the first hour. Lets see how his test career pans out.

The frail top order doesnt help much either.
 
OneManShow said:
Oh please- wicket like that with the ball doing alot - any one delivery can get you out.
Name the 10 better than him and we can dissect your list.
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zarak said:
A guy getting out to a ball that cut out sharply while he held the line is not mentally weak
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There is always an excuse for Babar.

Sometimes he gets a good ball, when he was getting rinsed by Maharaj’s arm balls in Pakistan, he was just “out of form”.

He is a not a top Test player. His FC record also shows that. His spin play is average and he does not have the defensive discipline to restrain himself or to keep good balls out.

You keep bowling to him outside the off-stump and he will inevitably nick one after playing some lovely cover-drives for his YouTube compilation.

He is still young but he 6 years of international experience now and is by no means a rookie. The time has come for his to take his Test game to the next level and if he fails to do it, the fans should cut down on the hype.
 
Mamoon said:
There is always an excuse for Babar.

Sometimes he gets a good ball, when he was getting rinsed by Maharaj’s arm balls in Pakistan, he was just “out of form”.

He is a not a top Test player. His FC record also shows that. His spin play is average and he does not have the defensive discipline to restrain himself or to keep good balls out.

You keep bowling to him outside the off-stump and he will inevitably nick one after playing some lovely cover-drives for his YouTube compilation.

He is still young but he 6 years of international experience now and is by no means a rookie. The time has come for his to take his Test game to the next level and if he fails to do it, the fans should cut down on the hype.
Click to expand...

Some fifties in difficult conditions (like walking at 2 for 3) are better than hundreds.
It's one of his best innings yesterday, the conditions were very hard for batting.
 
Mamoon said:
There is always an excuse for Babar.

Sometimes he gets a good ball, when he was getting rinsed by Maharaj’s arm balls in Pakistan, he was just “out of form”.

He is a not a top Test player. His FC record also shows that. His spin play is average and he does not have the defensive discipline to restrain himself or to keep good balls out.

You keep bowling to him outside the off-stump and he will inevitably nick one after playing some lovely cover-drives for his YouTube compilation.

He is still young but he 6 years of international experience now and is by no means a rookie. The time has come for his to take his Test game to the next level and if he fails to do it, the fans should cut down on the hype.
Click to expand...

You are right he is not a top test player no one said that. He is rightfully ranked 8 in the world and an average of 43 is nothing great. But he's the best we got and he's is ahead of many greats in terms of the way he's developing- so we remain optimistic.
 
Ability-wise probably the greatest Pakistani batsman of all time. But lacks killer instinct in test cricket. Opposite of Younis Khan who knew how to punish the opponent team once set and in the zone.
 
Mobashir said:
Some fifties in difficult conditions (like walking at 2 for 3) are better than hundreds.
It's one of his best innings yesterday, the conditions were very hard for batting.
Click to expand...

I agree. I am a huge S Waugh fan and even though the had 30 Test hundreds some of his best innings were half centuries like this where the going was really tough or the match situation a certain way.

We had multiple fielders, bowlers & batsmen going off for treatment due to the extreme heat conditions in Kingston... that 75 in the context is worth a hundred- especially when you consider he was sent in to bat, came in at what 2 or 3 for none and built the entire innings from nothing in bowler friendly conditions...

That's a top class knock. A captains knock. And I think he deserves to be in the conversation now with Kohli, Smith & Root. One has to be aware he is 5 years younger than these guys & plays slightly less tests/never played at home advantage in his early years either.

There's scope for Babar to join these guys and I love watching him play.
 
Conditions in both matches were bowlers friendly and he has already played two dogged innings out of three without any help from openers in blunting the ball,even providing some runs base, or tiring the bowlers. Some posters also criticise Fawad and Rizwan, yet its always these three who make some form of contribution. Im also inpressed with Faheem batting as I never thought he would be this consistent even if its 30s he would contribute and occasional 50 or even a 100. With batting we have two obvious issues that has always been there,our openers and our tailenders.
 
Mobashir said:
Some fifties in difficult conditions (like walking at 2 for 3) are better than hundreds.
It's one of his best innings yesterday, the conditions were very hard for batting.
Click to expand...

Yeah, no.

You want to be counted among the big boys, you need big hundreds. If you cannot have tons for fun against an attack with two rookie bowlers then don't expect to be taken seriously as a test bat. Babar is 27 already - the age at which the likes of Kohli and Smith were reeling 100s for fun. He has what, 5 hundred?
 
AMSS said:
Yeah, no.

You want to be counted among the big boys, you need big hundreds. If you cannot have tons for fun against an attack with two rookie bowlers then don't expect to be taken seriously as a test bat. Babar is 27 already - the age at which the likes of Kohli and Smith were reeling 100s for fun. He has what, 5 hundred?
Click to expand...

You forget the impact of other batsmen forming good partnerships with Tendu or Kohli. Those batsmen rarely had to come in at 3 for 3 , Pak aremore often 20 for 2 in any format.
This WI three main bowlers are all experienced ,and the inexperienced one was good too,hetook a fifer last match,so the attack is good and playing at home in helpful condition. That 150 partnership was golden.
 
He can at most get into top #5 but not #1. He just does not have any big knocks under his belt nor can stay batting for longer periods. And he will have even tougher times batting against better teams. You need bucket load of runs , but first should aim 1000 runs every year.
 
Should’ve been in top3 but averages around 30 in the last 10 or so innings he just needs one big knock to kick off & hopefully score daddy hundreds regularly , we believe in you Babar , you are all we have lol
 
ODI cricket was his strongest suite, he'll get there in test cricket.
 
He has the potential to but why do ratings matter so much? His job is to play long innings and win matches for his team, something he needs to improve upon.
 
Quoting Steve Waugh is not accurate.

Guy has 30 plus hundreds at an average of 50 plus.

Babar will have to score hundreds at some point to be counted among the greats of the game.

No one 30 year down the line will check if he made a 75 at 2 for 3 on a tough Sabina Park pitch.

But they would have remembered if he would have somehow reached a match defining 100 tonight.

He hasnt reached the Test greatness yet.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Not comparing who is the better batsman, but interestingly:<br><br>Fawad Alam has 5 centuries in 13 Tests<br>Babar Azam has 5 centuries in 35 Tests<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1429534661009723400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 22, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Babar Azam has moved up 1 place to 7th in the ICC Test Rankings for Batsmen <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://t.co/MBQFG5K3D9">pic.twitter.com/MBQFG5K3D9</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1430457457055346688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 25, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Babar will find it very hard to be number 1 as long as Steve smith and Kana is around. Root and Virat go through loss of form occasionally which may give him a chance.

Test match cricket is Babar's weakest format and he has to improve a lot to be regular top 4/5 batsmen in the world. So far in his career which has spanned a decent amount of tests (35) he has not been consistent in this format and shown a weakness against spin and outside off.
 
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