First ODI against Sri Lanka: One of worst ODI hundreds ever - Babar Azam

[Mamoon]

Bhai relax and take a breather lol

We have posted 290+ on a slow low wicket. I think we are fine...

We are comfortably winning this barring some crazy innings by someone.

Slow? check the SR of Fakhar, Hafeez and Malik. It is a good wicket.

 

[kingusama92]

I bet SL could use a Babar Azam 100 right about now.

 

[Zaz]

I guess match results determine whther a hundred is a bad one or not

Pakistan should win this so i dont think its that bad as is being made out

Yes against a england or india itd maybe be not so great You really sholdnt be getting a 100 at less than 80 strike rate

As babar is young, has a brilliant odi career and strike rate so far we cant knock him too much

But yes going forward against better teams he must do better strike rate wise

 

[KingKhanWC]

I bet SL could use a Babar Azam 100 right about now.

At his strike rate too to save some self respect!

Some of the posts by people who claim to cricket experts are laughable.

An innings isnt just seen with numbers, runs & strike rate. It has to be seen in context and the context here was ...

1. His role was to bat until the 50th over or near.

2. Malik started to hit boundaries, so Azam rotated the strike at this point , the sensible option.

3. He knew Pak was going to get enough runs on board with Pak's bowling, the pitch, outfield and the Lankan batting.

I suggest people moaning about this innings learn cricket first and then talk

 

[Madplayer]

Excellent point and exactly whst i was thinking, why did he start slogging after his 100 and not before?

Useless point. Every single batsman in the history of cricket has done it and batsmen still do it. Score slowly in 90s and slog after a 100. Babar isnt the only one.

 

[msb314]

Slow? check the SR of Fakhar, Hafeez and Malik. It is a good wicket.

It is flat by UAE standards but slow compared to English/Australian/SAF wickets. There is plenty of grip and turn on this wicket.

The only reason Hafeez, Malik and Fakhar had high SR’s was because they attacked the spinners who themselves bowled poorly.

Just look at the SL batsman now...

 

[Madplayer]

This wicket doesnt look so flat now does it? Babar did play selfishly once he got close to the 100 but to say it was a useless innings is wrong.

 

[Mamoon]

[MENTION=137804]msb314[/MENTION] [MENTION=131678]Madplayer[/MENTION] [MENTION=8597]kingusama92[/MENTION] and others

The performance of his batting partners is a better indicator than what the other team is doing under lights against a different set of bowlers.

Against the same bowlers in the same conditions, Fakhar, Hafeez and Malik all had excellent strike rates, while Babar was laboring throughout the innings and didn't even look like he was trying to rotate the strike and get a move on.

Yes his role was to bat through the innings, but batting through the innings does not mean having a SR of 70 for the most part of your innings.

He played an ordinary innings today and that is not disputable. People need to accept that rather than giving fake cricket lessons.

Does that make Babar a bad ODI player? Absolutely not, he is a terrific ODI player but today he was sluggish and ordinary. Probably his least impressive hundred so far, and he will play much better innings in the future.

Babar has done the same anchoring at a better SR in the past, and that is what made him a top talent. What he did today is what the likes of Misbah and Shehzad have done for years, and that's not good enough.

The difference between a good anchor and a mediocre anchor is what Babar has done in the past and what Babar did today.

 

[fawad_wellwisher]

With the way things are going so far, I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up picking the MOM award. I can imagine the sports headline tomorrow in Dawn

A useless 100 ends puts Pakistan 1-0 against SL.

 

[Rana]

Anyways. At the end of the day, Pakistan should win and Babar's astronomical average is just about to get even better. So many runs and he isnt even 23 yet.

 

[Mamoon]

With the way things are going so far, I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up picking the MOM award. I can imagine the sports headline tomorrow in Dawn

A useless 100 ends puts Pakistan 1-0 against SL.

That is not the point. Many below par innings in ODI history have been match winning ones, and the outcome of the match does not justify the knock. You can have great innings in losses and you can have mediocre innings in wins. The result of the match doesn't always dictate how good or bad the innings was.

Speaking of MoM, Malik deserves it far more. He converted a sub 250 total into a 290 one. It was by far the most impactful knock of the match.

 

[Boi]

I think he should be given the benefit of doubt in this case considering the rotten form he has been in recently coming in to this game. Hopefully he bats with a better tempo in the coming games.

 

[Madplayer]

[MENTION=137804]msb314[/MENTION] [MENTION=131678]Madplayer[/MENTION] [MENTION=8597]kingusama92[/MENTION] and others

The performance of his batting partners is a better indicator than what the other team is doing under lights against a different set of bowlers.

Against the same bowlers in the same conditions, Fakhar, Hafeez and Malik all had excellent strike rates, while Babar was laboring throughout the innings and didn't even look like he was trying to rotate the strike and get a move on.

Yes his role was to bat through the innings, but batting through the innings does not mean having a SR of 70 for the most part of your innings.

He played an ordinary innings today and that is not disputable. People need to accept that rather than giving fake cricket lessons.

Does that make Babar a bad ODI player? Absolutely not, he is a terrific ODI player but today he was sluggish and ordinary. Probably his least impressive hundred so far, and he will play much better innings in the future.

Babar has done the same anchoring at a better SR in the past, and that is what made him a top talent. What he did today is what the likes of Misbah and Shehzad have done for years, and that's not good enough.

The difference between a good anchor and a mediocre anchor is what Babar has done in the past and what Babar did today.

I dont think anyone is disputing the fact that Babar played a mediocre innings. Just trying to understand why he played such a knock because this is not a norm for him.. probably took the anchor role too seriously or simply wasnt feeling confident after the horrid show in tests.

Even after playing a relatively selfish innings, it is proving to be very valuable because the pitch has deteriorated it seems.

 

[Mamoon]

At his strike rate too to save some self respect!

Some of the posts by people who claim to cricket experts are laughable.

An innings isnt just seen with numbers, runs & strike rate. It has to be seen in context and the context here was ...

1. His role was to bat until the 50th over or near.

2. Malik started to hit boundaries, so Azam rotated the strike at this point , the sensible option.

3. He knew Pak was going to get enough runs on board with Pak's bowling, the pitch, outfield and the Lankan batting.

I suggest people moaning about this innings learn cricket first and then talk

Against WI last year, He played the exact same innings but he rotated the strike better, and was consistently hovering around the 90 mark. As a result, Pakistan posted 330+ and won by 60 runs. That day, he could have played like he did today and we would have scored 20-30 less but the result would still have been the same.

It is not about what he knew and how many runs he thought were going to be enough; he simply didn't play to his usual standards today, and we should accept that rather than defend it because SL have collapsed.

Maybe SL won't even get to 250, does that mean he should have batted at a strike rate of 50?

He is being rightfully criticized for the way he played today because he is capable of doing better, and that is what makes him a top talent. Anchoring at a SR of 65-70 is not good enough and we know that better than anyone, considering how Misbah and Shehzad have batted over the years.

Anchoring at SR of 85-90 is what the top ODI batsmen do and that is what Babar does usually, and that is why his career SR is 88. Today, he was well below his best and it probably has everything to do with the fact that he was under pressure due to the low scores in the Test series.

Hopefully this innings will give him the confidence to play at his normal tempo in the subsequent games.

 

[Mamoon]

I dont think anyone is disputing the fact that Babar played a mediocre innings. Just trying to understand why he played such a knock because this is not a norm for him.. probably took the anchor role too seriously or simply wasnt feeling confident after the horrid show in tests.

Even after playing a relatively selfish innings, it is proving to be very valuable because the pitch has deteriorated it seems.

Plenty of people are trying to justify the innings because (1) Babar doesn't usually play like this (2) it hasn't cost the team the match.

Which is obviously wrong. A quality player can play a mediocre innings and a mediocre innings doesn't always cost the team the match, especially if someone else players a blinder which Malik did today.

 

[Flat_Track_Bully]

Have you seen his ODI stats? He is one of the best batters in world cricket.

Congratulations you have given birth to another batting great.

 

[IMMY69]

I think this thread shows the value of waiting until the game is over before you have your say.

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Highest ODI batting average (minimum 20 innings):<br>Ryan ten Doeschate 67.00<br>Babar Azam 55.64<br>Virat Kohli 55.13<br>Michael Bevan 53.58<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/918902168064798720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[MenInG]

I think this thread shows the value of waiting until the game is over before you have your say.

And for those who could not see the bigger picture.

 

[Abid Z]

Poor babar..... gets out cheaply in tests gets criticised
Makes a century in a winning cause and gets criticised.

The joys...

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Had to get back into form somehow. That's all it is.

 

[backfootpunch]

Shoaib Malik rightfully awarded MOM.

Babar Azam should see now that it's not good enough....

 

[fawad_wellwisher]

That is not the point. Many below par innings in ODI history have been match winning ones, and the outcome of the match does not justify the knock. You can have great innings in losses and you can have mediocre innings in wins. The result of the match doesn't always dictate how good or bad the innings was.

Speaking of MoM, Malik deserves it far more. He converted a sub 250 total into a 290 one. It was by far the most impactful knock of the match.

I have seen in the past Pakistani batsmen scoring at a low S/R hoping that they will up the scoring rate later on. But they ended up scoring 50 of 80 balls and then got out. This kid coming off a bad series, had an off day yet was still able to push on to get a 100.

Miandad was a little similar for he played the percentages and gave his team a chance by playing risk free cricket. In this regard, Babar brings the same mind set. He will strive to help the team set a total the bowlers can defend and will prevent the middle order collapses we have become so accustomed to in the past. He is better than Misbah because not only does he play at a better S/R but he scores 100s something Misbah could never do in ODIs.

In no way was this innings useless. I could take your sentence and flip it to say if Malik did not have Babar at the othe end, he would not have played at this S/R or conversely without Babar''s 100, the team could potentially have ended up scoring only 192, an easily chasable target.

In the context and format of the game, Malik's innings was indeed the most entertaining for which he rightly deserved to get MOM.

 

[pkwdpassion]

One of the most pathetic selfish centuries I ever saw. Kept pressure on the other end to playscoring shots or a very good pitch to bat. Resulted in Zaman, hafeez and Malik getting out. Azam strike rate hovered around poor 58-68 initially, and then there was a slight jump to 70 odd between 60-88 runs, around the 43rd over. The most crucial time when score needs to be accelerated he literally knocked around to get to his 100. He did'nt playt any scoring shots in order to reach 100. If Malik would not have hit 27 runs, Pakistan would've ended up 260-270 given Babar's shameless batting. Babar got to his 100 with a 70 strike rate and 5 boundaries, ate 3 of his batting partners and assured Pakistan never crosses 300 mark. Pakistan was comfortably 20 odd runs short given the start by Zaman and Hafeez.

 

[cricketAXEpert]

lack of Confidence, after a terrible test series

 

[MMHS]

I didn't see his full innings, but from ball by ball scorecard, I think his last 25 runs were selfish. He was slow in 1st 3 quarter, but considering couple of early wickets, RR managed by his 3 partners and the spin attack by SRL, I'll give him a pass for 1st 3 quarter - that eventually resulted into a dominating score & I believe PAK attack would have defended that total against any team these days. Malik was deserving MoM despite his hundred, hence I guess the criticism is fair.

Having said that, I think posters are grossly misread the wicket - it was never a 300 wicket; I actually wrote that PAK will defend 240 easily. Once SRL was 105/6 or so, the game was over hence they could add another 100, but I don't think SRL would have chase 220 here, despite heavy dew - that tells that it actually wasn't that easy for Babar in dry condition against spinners. He is a touch player, and Dubai/Abu Dhabi is the worst type of ground for him - can't time the ball on that dead slow wicket & out field; doesn't have the brutal power to clear that large boundary on such slow surface. Probably, this was his best strategy to score big & he did that well.

At the end, I think had he gone for a 60 ball 50, PAK's total won't have crossed 275 - had Mian not played that outstanding innings, before Babar, we would have been criticizing Captain rowdy & senior most pro. for their worthless outing .......

 

[Hasan123]

Babar is in danger of going down the root of scoring but lacking any impact on a game. Won't call today's innings selfish but he needs to learn when to accelerate and not be so cautious. Malik batted at a good strike, I don't see why Babar couldn't have done the same when he was set.

 

[MMHS]

Babar is in danger of going down the root of scoring but lacking any impact on a game. Won't call today's innings selfish but he needs to learn when to accelerate and not be so cautious. Malik batted at a good strike, I don't see why Babar couldn't have done the same when he was set.

For most part, Malik faced spinners & he is probably best now in world in that; while Babar is poor against spin. I put it other way - take this same innings to UK & 3 pacers are bowling from 25th to 45th over - Mian would have been out before his 30s, let alone dominate the attack, here Babar actually provided good platform.

But, his last 25 runs were selfish for sure.

 

[Hasan123]

For most part, Malik faced spinners & he is probably best now in world in that; while Babar is poor against spin. I put it other way - take this same innings to UK & 3 pacers are bowling from 25th to 45th over - Mian would have been out before his 30s, let alone dominate the attack, here Babar actually provided good platform.

But, his last 25 runs were selfish for sure.

Babar isn't that bad versus spin. He should have been able to strike at a better rate then he did.

 

[MMHS]

Babar isn't that bad versus spin. He should have been able to strike at a better rate then he did.

He did rotate strike (only 5 boundaries I believe), but he doesn't have the power to clear Dubai boundary on that dead surface, hence he went for safer option. I think, same condition, at Sharjah, he would have been 120+ at same number of balls with may be 9/10 boundaries & 1 or 2 six.

Overall, I don't see much issues for such knocks if you are batting first - but, this innings probably won't chase 260 on same ground, even under dew.

 

[Bonafide Hustler]

One thing he should have inherited from Akmal brothers was unselfishness. Kamran and Umar have their problems, but one cannot accuse them for being selfish with the bat. I don't recall many innings where they have sacrificed the team's cause for personal milestones.

LOL are you kidding me? Umar Akmal is the definition of a selfish batsman. He only cared about personal glory. Playing ridiculously aggressive and dumb shots when your team needs to bat sensibly is the definition of selfish. I also remember the time Pakistan actually won the game and he kept asking some reporter who the man of the match was instead of just celebrating the win.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

It was a poor innings and rightly criticized but it doesn't mean anything in the long run because the job he's doing consistently is so very important for us. We've never had an all conditions anchor like this at 3, ever. The way he's been absorbing pressure at such a young age in a team historically prone to collapse is mighty impressive.

 

[Mueez]

Well come on let the bloke play his natural game, he needed this boost after his disastrous test series with the bat.

 

[Specialisttailender]

Pakistanis don't respect batsmen. Fastest player to score 1000 run at the age of 22, 6 centuries, ODI average of 55. What else do you guys want ?

 

[Hasan123]

He did rotate strike (only 5 boundaries I believe), but he doesn't have the power to clear Dubai boundary on that dead surface, hence he went for safer option. I think, same condition, at Sharjah, he would have been 120+ at same number of balls with may be 9/10 boundaries & 1 or 2 six.

Overall, I don't see much issues for such knocks if you are batting first - but, this innings probably won't chase 260 on same ground, even under dew.

Okay so maybe on flat batting surface it would be a poor innings, but on this type of pitch it wasn't that bad?

 

[Hasan123]

It was a poor innings and rightly criticized but it doesn't mean anything in the long run because the job he's doing consistently is so very important for us. We've never had an all conditions anchor like this at 3, ever. The way he's been absorbing pressure at such a young age in a team historically prone to collapse is mighty impressive.

Very good point as always.

 

[MMHS]

Okay so maybe on flat batting surface it would be a poor innings, but on this type of pitch it wasn't that bad?

No way - the game has a fine balance, had he made it 153/4, Mian won't have the partner to play his innings, neither PAK the tail to add another 120. He played even slower at Oval, which eventually ended in 180 runs win.

I agree that, to reach the 100, he might have cost PAK 15 runs - 292, instead of 307; but that innings was difference between 270 & 292 as well. Have you seen Sarfraz's batting coming at 6? Also, it'll be gross mistake to think that Imad & Hasan would have scored 23 ball 38 had they come in 42nd over; game doesn't work like that way.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Glad malik got man of match much deserved for his stylish knock on an easy paced wicket.

 

[Mamoon]

I have seen in the past Pakistani batsmen scoring at a low S/R hoping that they will up the scoring rate later on. But they ended up scoring 50 of 80 balls and then got out. This kid coming off a bad series, had an off day yet was still able to push on to get a 100.

Miandad was a little similar for he played the percentages and gave his team a chance by playing risk free cricket. In this regard, Babar brings the same mind set. He will strive to help the team set a total the bowlers can defend and will prevent the middle order collapses we have become so accustomed to in the past. He is better than Misbah because not only does he play at a better S/R but he scores 100s something Misbah could never do in ODIs.

In no way was this innings useless. I could take your sentence and flip it to say if Malik did not have Babar at the othe end, he would not have played at this S/R or conversely without Babar''s 100, the team could potentially have ended up scoring only 192, an easily chasable target.

In the context and format of the game, Malik's innings was indeed the most entertaining for which he rightly deserved to get MOM.

If Babar would have got out earlier, we would still have posted a competitive total. Sarfraz is an unbelievably bad hitter, but he is a good accumulator. Imad can stay at the wicket too.

 

[Mamoon]

Obviously it doesn't mean anything in the long run. Babar is a top ODI batsman and it is understandable that he was under pressure due to the poor Test series.

However, just because we won the match convincingly does not justify the tempo at which he played today. There is no need of making excuses, we all saw what we saw. He is better than what he did today, and hopefully he will show it in the coming matches in this series.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Obviously it doesn't mean anything in the long run. Babar is a top ODI batsman and it is understandable that he was under pressure due to the poor Test series.

However, just because we won the match convincingly does not justify the tempo at which he played too. There is no need of making excuses, we all saw what we saw. He is better than what he did today, and hopefully he will show it in the coming matches in this series.

Excellent summary, sadly some people cant see points i made and you have made.

 

[Mamoon]

Excellent summary, sadly some people cant see points i made and you have made.

Can't really blame these folks though, they are struggling because Pakistan won the match and Babar normally doesn't play like this.

 

[Mamoon]

LOL are you kidding me? Umar Akmal is the definition of a selfish batsman. He only cared about personal glory. Playing ridiculously aggressive and dumb shots when your team needs to bat sensibly is the definition of selfish. I also remember the time Pakistan actually won the game and he kept asking some reporter who the man of the match was instead of just celebrating the win.

I guess it is a matter of perception. Generally defensive batting is associated with selfishness, but at times attacking cricket can be selfish too. For e.g. Afridi was undoubtedly a very selfish batsman, but some would say that he didn't play for stats. It is a complicated debate. Personally, I would associate Umar with a lot of things but not selfishness.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Umar akmal selfish? He gave his wicket away to the cause numerous times and was opposite to babar.

 

[azimiqbal]

Seriously ?

The guy made a hundred after a dreadful one day series!

Everyone on here likes tonover react

 

[Syed1]

Thankfully didn't get an undeserved MoM

 

[Bewal Express]

Umar wasnt anything bar thick.

 

[Hedz]

Pakistani fans are the best and worse in the world. The same idiots complaining now are also the ones comparing him to Virat Kohli or better on Facebook. Don’t make heroes overnight just to bring them down at every given opportunity.
Babar Azam the most talented Pakistani batsmen in a long time and we won’t get anyone better anytime soon. Why criticise him whilst he is performing? He’s a youngster with tremendous talent and yet people look for small things to bring him down.
He played slightly slow, firstly didn’t you learn anything from when Misbah played a similar knock for Pakistan. Babar is the batsmen who for now has the role of the anchor to play. This is what allows other batsmen to go for it from the other side. Check Maliks interview and he highlights this.
What is really concerning is that a relatively young star batsmen is abused and criticised more for a century, than Shehzad, a senior batsmen, who scored a 12 ball duck.
Pakistani fans: ungrateful, inconsiderate, over the top, not at all patience, and some are very pathetic.
Back your team, cmon guys, atleast when they are performing!

 

[shaz619]

We got to 292 due to malk showing some aggression at end of the inns, without that knock we would have got 250-60. 290 will probably be enough but with a platform of 200/3 we should have gone past 300 with ease instead a few decent blows from imad n hasan got us to a decent score.

We also got to 292 due to his hundred and have now won by a healthy margin.

 

[shaz619]

Umar akmal selfish? He gave his wicket away to the cause numerous times and was opposite to babar.

If Umar Akmal plays a brainless stroke how is that not being selfish, maybe Afridi is our greatest ODI batsman ever going by your logic.

 

[Aman]

Seems extremely slow, if he's decent at turning over strike, why not have him open?

You need someone more dynamic at number 3.

 

[IM NOT YOU]

Look at the bigger picture, we got to 292 which is a defendable total.

I think you need to take your own advice and look at the bigger picture.


The bigger picture actually is the fact that better current teams (England, india, Australia, south Africa, new Zealand, etc) this same 292 will not be defendable on a pitch that was easily 300+ par score.

So you can be happy with defending 292 on a pitch where sri lankas tail enders made 50s off us or you can realise that playing so slow for the sake of making a century is unacceptable and harmful for the team in the long run.

 

[MeanAndGreen]

Yes, it was a slow knock - particularly towards the end. But it's easy to see he's in horrible form and all things considered, it's certainly not one of the worst ODI hundreds ever. The ball was starting to grip from around the 20th over of Pakistans innings.

Some of the experts criticising the innings were pretending it's a 340 wicket, convinced SL would chase down the 292 PAK posted with ease.

People can keep comparing this guy with Shehzad and other mediocre players but the fact of the matter is that he's just brought up his 6th ODI hundred in 32 games. He's still learning the art of batting at No.3 - let's hope he improves his tempo next time round.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Pak fans should be happy that atleast someone is showing some kind of consistency. When was the last time Pakistan ever had a batsman that showed this kind of consistency.

 

[Bilal7]

Babar Azam is the best thing to happen to our ODI cricket, Alhamdulliah. We finally have an all-formats batsman with a hunger to score loads of runs and best thing is that he can do it at a good SR.

Let it be known that I have always backed him, unlike the jokers criticizing him for no good reason.

 

[90MPH]

Seems extremely slow, if he's decent at turning over strike, why not have him open?

You need someone more dynamic at number 3.

Like who ??

We finally find someone in Babar - today he played slow but overall he's scores briskly at a good pace and scores a lot once he's set.

I'm much more concerned about this Test game - he may have to be dropped there.

But on the limited overs he's going nowhere for the next 5 years, possibly next 10.

 

[MeanAndGreen]

I can't believe people are calling for this guys head when we have vitriol like Shehzad opening for us.

 

[MeanAndGreen]

Seems extremely slow, if he's decent at turning over strike, why not have him open?

You need someone more dynamic at number 3.

He usually bats at great tempo.

Just horribly out of form and devoid of confidence after the test series. And considering SL couldn't reach 250 and no Pak batsman other than Malik reached 50, I wouldn't say it's the worst hundred ever all things considered.

 

[shaz619]

I think you need to take your own advice and look at the bigger picture.


The bigger picture actually is the fact that better current teams (England, india, Australia, south Africa, new Zealand, etc) this same 292 will not be defendable on a pitch that was easily 300+ par score.

So you can be happy with defending 292 on a pitch where sri lankas tail enders made 50s off us or you can realise that playing so slow for the sake of making a century is unacceptable and harmful for the team in the long run.

The bigger picture is that we defended this 292 score and it was more then enough, this same team won the Champions Trophy recently and entered this series whilst their confidence was low after the Test defeats. You can't expect perfection every game, we got the win here and there's always room for improvement so am not sure wrist slitters are equipped to comprehend the bigger picture in the grand scheme on any level given their one dimensional negative barking regardless of the situation.

 

[MeanAndGreen]

I think you need to take your own advice and look at the bigger picture.


The bigger picture actually is the fact that better current teams (England, india, Australia, south Africa, new Zealand, etc) this same 292 will not be defendable on a pitch that was easily 300+ par score.

So you can be happy with defending 292 on a pitch where sri lankas tail enders made 50s off us or you can realise that playing so slow for the sake of making a century is unacceptable and harmful for the team in the long run.

Who told you that this was a 300 pitch? Were you batting out there?

These wickets are not conducive to stroke play at all. Most stroke players struggle to score anything other than attractive 30,40s because of that. Not to mention the average score batting first at Dubai is 228.

A 300 pitch is the Oval pitch used during the CT where SL chased down 330-odd and Pak posted 339-4.

Even Malik only started accelerating in the final few overs against Perera. During the middle overs Babar and Malik assessed the pitch perfectly, and played risk free cricket for about 100 runs, finding gaps and running hard.

 

[MeanAndGreen]

The bigger picture is that we defended this 292 score and it was more then enough, this same team won the Champions Trophy recently and entered this series whilst their confidence was low after the Test defeats. You can't expect perfection every game, we got the win here and there's always room for improvement so am not sure wrist slitters are equipped to comprehend the bigger picture in the grand scheme on any level given their one dimensional negative barking regardless of the situation.

Great post.

There's a way to criticise players. People calling for Babar's head should really re-assess their cricketing knowledge; probably the same 'experts' who thought Pakistan wasn't even deserving of a spot at the Champions Trophy.

We are a struggling batting nation and trust me when I say this - we don't have anyone half as good as Babar waiting in the wings.

 

[Aman]

He usually bats at great tempo.

Just horribly out of form and devoid of confidence after the test series. And considering SL couldn't reach 250 and no Pak batsman other than Malik reached 50, I wouldn't say it's the worst hundred ever all things considered.

Not really, most of the times I've seen him bat and score well, he usually finishes around 80 which is poor for today's standards. You should be batting close to 100, if not higher once you've scored a century.

Kane had the same issue early on in his career, but now he's sorted it. He also has the luxury of having hinters around him who allowed him to play himself in.

 

[Zaz]

The context is important Hes coming off a horrible series and maybe not in great nick We are playing a poor team and dubai isnt the best of batting grounds

When you put all that together its a good knock which helped pakistan win comfortably Not great but good

Lets look at the positives The lad in only 23 and seems to be on his way to being our best odi bat ever and certainly is the best in the team at the moment His ton ratio and avge is brilliant and just what pakistan has been crying for

The last thing we want is to discourage him and turn into an akmal or shezad

Hopefully he ll continue churning out these tons for years to come

 

[Aman]

The context is important Hes coming off a horrible series and maybe not in great nick We are playing a poor team and dubai isnt the best of batting grounds

When you put all that together its a good knock which helped pakistan win comfortably Not great but good

Lets look at the positives The lad in only 23 and seems to be on his way to being our best odi bat ever and certainly is the best in the team at the moment His ton ratio and avge is brilliant and just what pakistan has been crying for

The last thing we want is to discourage him and turn into an akmal or shezad

Hopefully he ll continue churning out these tons for years to come

Context

Shoaib Malik 81 off 61 (SR 132).
Hafeez 32 off 38 (SR 84)

It was by no means a good innings...

 

[Zaz]

Not really, most of the times I've seen him bat and score well, he usually finishes around 80 which is poor for today's standards. You should be batting close to 100, if not higher once you've scored a century.

Kane had the same issue early on in his career, but now he's sorted it. He also has the luxury of having hinters around him who allowed him to play himself in.

Not sure what you mean because babar has a strike rate of 88 in odis

Whilst thats not brilliant in this day and age its not bad either considering hes 23 and more often than not goes on to get a ton for his team

Yes he probably needs to take that into the 90s preferably and im sure that ll come the more experienced he gets and the more hos game develops

 

[mak36]

Had to get back into form somehow. That's all it is.

Exactly.

Was it his greatest knock? No.

But was it one of the worst ODI hundreds ever? Absolutely not.

Should we be concerned? No. He is 22 and this was an atypical knock from Babar and even then he still managed score 100.

I swear if he had got out for a duck, posters would have complained he is carrying his poor test form into ODIs. He proves them all wrong and scores a century in the first ODI and people still complain.

Shehzad's duck isn't getting anywhere near the criticism as Babar's 100. Says a lot about some fans.

 

[MeanAndGreen]

Context

Shoaib Malik 81 off 61 (SR 132).
Hafeez 32 off 38 (SR 84)

It was by no means a good innings...

If you'd watched the match you'd know it wasn't as simple as that.

Hafeez was given free run to bat aggressively because of the constant strike rotation by Babar. These pitches are not conducive to stroke play and that's why Hafeez or Zaman couldn't convert their starts. There's a reason the average score batting first in Dubai is 228.

Malik and Babar were playing till the last few overs at practically the same rate. That's where Babar should be rightfully criticised because he did not make a great attempt for increasing the rate.

It wasn't the show-stealing innings PAK fans have a strange obsession for (hence players like Afridi, Akmal have exceeded a lot longer than they should) but it was a clever innings and when you consider his form in the last few matches, it's a welcomed knock.

 

[MeanAndGreen]

Exactly.

Was it his greatest knock? No.

But was it one of the worst ODI hundreds ever? Absolutely not.

Should we be concerned? No. He is 22 and this was an atypical knock from Babar and even then he still managed score 100.

I swear if he had got out for a duck, posters would have complained he is carrying his poor test form into ODIs. He proves them all wrong and scores a century in the first ODI and people still complain.

Shehzad's duck isn't getting anywhere near the criticism as Babar's 100. Says a lot about some fans.

Long story short - people want him to be Kohli and he isn't, so now he should be kicked out of the side.

And we wonder why we haven't produced a single top ODI cricketer in the last 20 years...

 

[mak36]

Long story short - people want him to be Kohli and he isn't, so now he should be kicked out of the side.

And we wonder why we haven't produced a single top ODI cricketer in the last 20 years...

Too early to say that. He debuted 2 years ago and is averaging 55.64 in 32 ODIs. I would say he is doing pretty well.

Kohli debuted 9 years ago so it's too early to say Babar won't match (or even outperform) Kohli.

 

[htariq25]

If this is a selfish innings then I dearly hope he continues being selfish because he's getting runs and the team is winning!

 

[Flat_Track_Bully]

If this is a selfish innings then I dearly hope he continues being selfish because he's getting runs and the team is winning!

Remember this is the Afridi generation which regard 17(8) as unselfish

 

[Syed1]

PP has her favourites. If Shehzad or Hafeez had scored such a snail's pace century even in winning cause all hell would have broken loose. You would have had multitude of threads saying how cancerous they are to the side and the only thing holding back Pakistan.

But since this is Bobby darling, PP'ers have collectively decided to let it pass.

 

[mak36]

PP has her favourites. If Shehzad or Hafeez had scored such a snail's pace century even in winning cause all hell would have broken loose. You would have had multitude of threads saying how cancerous they are to the side and the only thing holding back Pakistan.

But since this is Bobby darling, PP'ers have collectively decided to let it pass.

That's unfair.

You can't look at this knock in isolation.

If Shehzad or Hafeez had scored this century it would have been par for the course. Those two have hit their ceiling and have nowhere to go. They are incapable of scoring quickly for extended periods.

Babar on the other hand is only 22 and has already shown he has a far higher ceiling than the other two put together. As I said earlier, Babar was out of form and low on confidence post-test series and yet still managed to score a 100. The point is he will most likely return to his usual (quicker) ways as the series progresses. If however it became normal for him to start so slowly then Babar would rightly receive the type of criticism Shehzad/Hafeez often do.

 

[MeanAndGreen]

PP has her favourites. If Shehzad or Hafeez had scored such a snail's pace century even in winning cause all hell would have broken loose. You would have had multitude of threads saying how cancerous they are to the side and the only thing holding back Pakistan.

But since this is Bobby darling, PP'ers have collectively decided to let it pass.

"If" being the key word here.

We all saw what Shehzad had to offer.

 

[KyoOne]

One of the worst in recent memory.

His SR was in 60s most of his innings, when in modern day cricket it should at least be 85. In slog overs, he was even slower than run-a-ball even though we had wickets still in tank.

His hundred against Australia was equally selfish, which due to being a decent side resulted in humiliating loss. Was batting at 60 SR when Sharjeel was going at 130 at the other end

 

[austerlitz]

I've been to the forum for a few years,mostly lurking but i can safely say now that i always thought indian cricket fans were the worst -most impatient,obsessed.Then i went to bangladesh forum out of curiosity.
Bangladesh is worst.
But pakistan fans are close second.The way you hype and then denigrate your young players is astonishing.Man just scored a hundred with people calling for his head.You people deserve hackers like afridi.Getting proper batsmen requires backing them young,but not overhype them and not make 180 degree turns in opinion every match.

 

[nads_rocks]

In a 50 over game u need a solid consolidator so others can play their game around a set batsman. Take his century away we are left with 192. Babar isnt an afridi who is going to score 20-30 ball 50s or hit consecutive 4s and 6s. Fakhar played his natural game and babar supported him. Then hafeez and malik played well around him. He had to stick around and hold 1 end otherwise we wud neva wud hav posted even 220 without him. He had dreadful test innings and he scored a century in the 1st odi. Giv him credit!

 

[msb314]

PP has her favourites. If Shehzad or Hafeez had scored such a snail's pace century even in winning cause all hell would have broken loose. You would have had multitude of threads saying how cancerous they are to the side and the only thing holding back Pakistan.

But since this is Bobby darling, PP'ers have collectively decided to let it pass.

Only because we won and STILL posted 290+ on the board (not because he is golden boy Babar lol)

Don't let individual performances cloud the collective performance of the team

 

[msb314]

It is a testament to how good this kid is when he scores a century and the team wins after scoring 290+ yet he is STILL criticized for batting too slowly lol

 

[MMHS]

I think, after Test series, he tried to mend his reputation & over did a bit to ensure the 100.

But, the wicket wasn't easy and if we look at the scores, after PP (10 overs), PAK's score was probably 36 - that means team scored 256 in last 40, which is more than acceptable in Dubai. In fact, teams often don't score 256 in 50 overs there. If anything was alarming, it has to be first 10 overs (I think PAK's RR was <3 till 8th overs). On such wickets, most teams would attack the new ball and end up scoring 290, from 110 in first 20. That poor start (Babar himself is part of it) actually overcasts the great work by Malik and partially MoHa, Babar as well. Today, PAK's shot productivity (opposite to dot ball %) was remarkably good in middle overs.

I think, biggest area of concern is the 1st 10 overs - most teams would have gone after Lakmal & Gamage to end PP like 55/1; whereas I didn't see any attempt from PAK's top 3 to go after them, loft them or try to break their length. Middle overs were fantastic, rather from over 40-45 PAK was too slow, when Babar was trying to ensure his 100 - these two blemish I'll give him, but not for the middle 35 overs.