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"I’ll go so far as to say, at the same age, Babar’s as good as Virat Kohli" : Mickey Arthur

Aman said:
QdK was much more impressive than both at the same age.
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Yup, guy is a beast. I've sometimes been scared of his potential at just 20/21 years. Don't know about tests, but can end up as South Africa's best ever ODI batsman at the end of his career.
 
EliteCynical said:
Can anyone help me understand -

Why does he have to drag Indian batsmen into everything? is the media prodding him by name-dropping? Why can't he just compare with players who he has coached? An Amla, Smith or Devillers or Phil Hughes, Warner or Steve Smith?

Why does it have to be Sachin and Kohli? I mean he must have observed the above people more closely.

Is this public appeasement with an ulterior motive?
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You think Arthur is catering to Worldwide fans with his comment?

No, his comment is for the average joe back home in Pakistan, you think Pakistani's care about Aus and Saf players?

Not a chance, believe it or not Indian batsmen are indeed the benchmark as the Pakistani's always want to match and make India feel inferior at every opportunity.
 
LegendAli said:
You think Arthur is catering to Worldwide fans with his comment?

No, his comment is for the average joe back home in Pakistan, you think Pakistani's care about Aus and Saf players?

Not a chance, believe it or not Indian batsmen are indeed the benchmark as the Pakistani's always want to match and make India feel inferior at every opportunity.
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Do you mean he(mickey), is trying to use media to overshadow some of his failures so that less criticism will be against him(mickey)?
 
Not a bad comparison. but for a coach to say such things only ends up putting more pressure on a young player.

Also, if Younis and Misbah were to retire soon, Babar may not have the required guidance to develop his game further and realize full potential. PCB should keep him away from his cousins. Has a wonderful long career ahead
 
Mamoon said:
There is a PPer inside Mickey who pops up every now and then. Unfortunately Amir is not allowing him to establish the Wasim comparison.

Probably reminds him of Ashish Nehra these days.
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Mickey loves Amir even for his PSL side he made he got the trio of Sohail,Amir and Rahat together would have got Wahab aswell if Zalmis were not so keen to retain him.
 
street cricketer said:
Yup, guy is a beast. I've sometimes been scared of his potential at just 20/21 years. Don't know about tests, but can end up as South Africa's best ever ODI batsman at the end of his career.
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QDK,Babar and Sami were neck to neck in age group cricket I think Pakistan missed a trick atleast with babar by inducting him atleast 2 years late.
 
Xoib said:
QDK,Babar and Sami were neck to neck in age group cricket I think Pakistan missed a trick atleast with babar by inducting him atleast 2 years late.
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As was Unmukt Chand who looked slightly better in the U-19 WC but that WC success got to his head and he's nowhere close to a national spot despite getting chances with A teams.
 
Dr_Bassim said:
What was Inzimam's average after 50 tests?

He averaged 43.2 in all matches and his average against Australia was 34 , England 38, South Africa 32.

Kohli at the same time is averaging 48 and his average against Australia is 60, England 36 , South Africa 47.

Kohli will easily better Inzimam at current pace.

I am sure similar stats can be found for Yousuf.

Why don't you do the honors.

By the way Inzimam ended his career with average of 49.6 just a shade below 50 after playing 120 tests. You really think Kohli will fall apart and by the time he reaches 100 tests go back to averaging below 40?

At least think before talking.

He is better than Inzimam was at same stage.
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One factual error there, Inzi averaged 50 for Pakistan in Tests.
 
Xoib said:
QDK,Babar and Sami were neck to neck in age group cricket I think Pakistan missed a trick atleast with babar by inducting him atleast 2 years late.
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Honestly Sami doesn't give me the vibe of a great LOI batsman. Babar is very good and QdK is outstanding in LOIs.
 
LegendAli said:
You think Arthur is catering to Worldwide fans with his comment?

No, his comment is for the average joe back home in Pakistan, you think Pakistani's care about Aus and Saf players?

Not a chance, believe it or not Indian batsmen are indeed the benchmark as the Pakistani's always want to match and make India feel inferior at every opportunity.
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When i said public appeasement, i meant pakistani public appeasement, and by your response, looks like that is exactly what is happening. Looks like Mickey knows what the pakistani public wants to hear and is molding his answers to ensure he is heard. I don't think this is the right. First of all, i am hearing far too many statements for a coach to make and second of all, he has coached 2 international teams before which are far more successful than India. He should keep that as the bar, in my humble opinion.

Ultimately, to each his own. again, I am not miffed he is comparing with indian batsmen, was just trying to make a point about mickey, press interaction and appeasement.
 
Dr_Bassim said:
What was Inzimam's average after 50 tests?

He averaged 43.2 in all matches and his average against Australia was 34 , England 38, South Africa 32.

Kohli at the same time is averaging 48 and his average against Australia is 60, England 36 , South Africa 47.

Kohli will easily better Inzimam at current pace.

I am sure similar stats can be found for Yousuf.

Why don't you do the honors.

By the way Inzimam ended his career with average of 49.6 just a shade below 50 after playing 120 tests. You really think Kohli will fall apart and by the time he reaches 100 tests go back to averaging below 40?

At least think before talking.

He is better than Inzimam was at same stage.
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Expect nothing but posts like this from you. Read our discussion again and note how neither Mamoon, not I, was talking about Kohli's potential, He said no Pakistani batsman can be as good as Kohli, which is not true since Kohli isn't as good as some Pakistani batsman as of now.
 
The kid is absolutely special. Watched him all the way from the U-19 level. Mickey should however be comparing him with maybe Root because Kohli became special with sheer hard work and determination. Babar is more like the lone wolf in the Pakistan camp.
 
QalandarFan said:
Just found this video of a cover drive from Virat on 110 and Babar on 20
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:))) Kohli kills that shot like a beast, Azam's shot doesn't even look below average compared to Kohli's and I'm saying this as an unbiased Pakistani fan.

What a slap in the face to Kohli.
 
GrandMaster said:
Depends on how you interpret the word talent. Rohit is definitely more talented than Kohli, but he lacks the temperament.
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Because he plays aerial shots which looks good? It takes much more talent to keep the ball down like Kohli does and finding the gaps. He CAN lay flashy shots like Rohit, he chooses not to
 
Babar Azam is the next batting super star. Kohli hoga apne ghar ka Kohli, Azam will be remembered for a long time and there will be comparisons of him with true past legends and not with people like Kohli who can't play test cricket in England.
 
Mamoon said:
If he can score 22 tons at an average of 42, and have a dominant series vs his biggest rivals (Bell's 2013 Ashes), he will become a bonafide legend for Pakistan.

At this point, Shafiq is a poor man's Ian Bell unfortunately.
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Its unfair to compare Bell with Shafiq in the first instance. English players normally have Ashes series and then high profile series on alternate years with India and RSA comprising 4-5 Tests so they get more chance to play under pressure and improve their skills.
 
silent ischemia said:
Its unfair to compare Bell with Shafiq in the first instance. English players normally have Ashes series and then high profile series on alternate years with India and RSA comprising 4-5 Tests so they get more chance to play under pressure and improve their skills.
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Correct, but I think Bell is/was a much better player than Shafiq. Both technically astute, but he was a high talented mental midget.

Shafiq is a moderately talented mental midget.
 
Bilal7 said:
Overall, he's still far behind Miandad. Miandad retired as an ATG batsman in tests and a very good one in ODIs. Kohli isn't an ATG in ODIs yet and like I said, has a long way to go in tests. Inzamam too is ahead, who retired as a great in both formats.

Potential wise, I can see him becoming India's best ever batsman, forget about Pakistan. However your statement is inaccurate as of now.
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Well I mean potential as well, that is why I said 'only a matter of time'.

Given his desire and hunger to succeed as well as his ability, it is almost impossible to see him wane off, unless he gets a freakish injury etc.
 
Kohli's cover-drive is overrated. It is good but the way people rave about it is as if he owns the shot.

So far, there is only one shot that can be considered as Kohli's trademark - the short through mid-wicket where he just flicks his wrists at the last moment.

A lot batsmen play better cover-drives than him.
 
btw more then Kohli Babar reminds me of Root both are naturally talented attractive stroke makers but like Root babar also can be a bit casual at times.
 
Mamoon said:
Kohli's cover-drive is overrated. It is good but the way people rave about it is as if he owns the shot.

So far, there is only one shot that can be considered as Kohli's trademark - the short through mid-wicket where he just flicks his wrists at the last moment.

A lot batsmen play better cover-drives than him.
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the way he cover drives is unique because he uses so much bottom hand + wrists that the bat does nearly 360 degrees and yet the placement is precise. Thats why people rave about it. It looks pretty spectacular too.
 
We are witnessing once a generation player here..

Virat Kohli must stand and applaud this performance..

Virat only bettered Babar by a few 100 runs in Australia on his first tour here in 2012
 
You are right, he is so bad that he equalled the record for fastest to 1,000 runs in ODIs. PCB should send him a show a show-cause notice for this poor showing.
 
Every batsman that is not related to Akmals is not good enough unless he scores a 150

However even Kamran Akmal deserves a comeback in the year 2017.. his shoddy fitness won't have make a difference in the outcome of the match according to [MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION]
 
waleed88 said:
Every batsman that is not related to Akmals is not good enough unless he scores a 150

However even Kamran Akmal deserves a comeback in the year 2017.. his shoddy fitness won't have make a difference in the outcome of the match according to [MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION]
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Kamran is a better option than Azhar and as backup WK for Sarfraz. Rizwan has regressed as a batsman beyond measure.

The way I see it, you have a problem with Babar primarily because he is from the Akmal clan.
 
Mamoon said:
Kamran is a better option than Azhar and as backup WK for Sarfraz. Rizwan has regressed as a batsman beyond measure.

The way I see it, you have a problem with Babar primarily because he is from the Akmal clan.
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well all three of them are highly overrated, so thats a similarity in all of them..
 
waleed88 said:
We are witnessing once a generation player here..

Virat Kohli must stand and applaud this performance..

Virat only bettered Babar by a few 100 runs in Australia on his first tour here in 2012
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Virat was more developed then babar qhen he came here had madevhia debut in 2009 and qaa a year older babar is averaging 42 in the odi series i dont see what the issue is.
 
I dont get this phenomenon of Pakistani batsmen being compared to Indian batsmen by Pakistanis or people involved with Pakistan cricket.Is this playing to the galleries kind of thing?
 
I would go as far as saying, if babar gets some decent grooming done, some ink on his body, u would'nt be able to tell them apart in cricketing whites.

Similar fitness, poise, elegance and cricketing intelligence.
 
Just another way of insulting Indian batsmen - no current Pak batsmen is fit to be compared to Kohli's boots never mind fantasising about being as good!!

How about producing the results before barking such stupid statements!?
 
cricketjoshila said:
I dont get this phenomenon of Pakistani batsmen being compared to Indian batsmen by Pakistanis or people involved with Pakistan cricket.Is this playing to the galleries kind of thing?
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Why not? Ind bats are faaar superior. And it's natural you compare your potential talent to your adversary's top bats.

Ind bats are a benchmark for us.
 
Hawkeye said:
Why not? Ind bats are faaar superior. And it's natural you compare your potential talent to your adversary's top bats.

Ind bats are a benchmark for us.
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There are ABDVs Amlas Smiths Roots of the world but everytime the comparision is with Indian batsmen,and how X Pakistani is as good as or better than the Indian.

This is more like playing to the gallery and get brownie points.
 
cricketjoshila said:
I dont get this phenomenon of Pakistani batsmen being compared to Indian batsmen by Pakistanis or people involved with Pakistan cricket.Is this playing to the galleries kind of thing?
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Babar plays at number 3 in ODIs and Kohli is the benchmark for that position currently.

Arthur loves his comparisons. He likened Sharjeel to Warner and Starc to Amir. It is not limited to Indian players only.
 
Mamoon said:
Babar plays at number 3 in ODIs and Kohli is the benchmark for that position currently.

Arthur loves his comparisons. He likened Sharjeel to Warner and Starc to Amir. It is not limited to Indian players only.
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I am not talking about this one comparision.The usual comparisions with Tendulkar and Kohli.
 
cricketjoshila said:
I dont see that kind of comparisions in India.Excep one or two that were made between Irfan Pathan and Wasim.
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India normally don't produce bowlers that can be compared to the great Pakistani bowlers of the past. The only such bowler that emerged was Pathan and he was compared to Wasim. Similarly, Zaheer and Nehra also drew similar comparisons at one point.

On the contrary, Pakistani batsmen often make wonderful impressions early on. Not saying it is the right thing to do, but there is a rationale behind it.
 
Such comments make our players bigheads. Let them first find their feet at this level then say whatever you want.
 
Cant blame the coach. This is all opus dei stuff from the fans here.
As I said earlier if Asad or Babar got pressured by mere comparison then they are in the wrong profession.
 
Why is babar getting bashed his odi form has been very good 182 runs @ 45.
 
Virat kohli made his debut almost three years after his odi debut , one thing though he probably was a genuine 22 years old when he made his test debut.
 
Babar azam is a very good player but in Pakistani system odi batsmen hardly improve and my fear is that he will probably be lost to the system in the next 3 4 years averaging in mid thirties and with sense of direction whatsoever.
 
It seems like Mickey is visiting PP too much these days lol.

Babur is not even as good as Kohli with one hand and that is it although he seems to be the best ODI batsman in our team which is no doubt a reality and Pakistan should stick with him although we have to wait and see when he become senior and start doing same as others.
 
cricketjoshila said:
I dont see that kind of comparisions in India.Excep one or two that were made between Irfan Pathan and Wasim.
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And Zaheer.

Those are the only ones who had a phenomenal start and there aren't any others really who could be compared to Wasim/Waqar/Shoaib.

So, bowlers are compared with Pak bowlers. It's natural between nations who are so similar and are adversaries too.
 
Even after years, kohli is batting at 4, in tests. Kohli.

But poor Babar, is throwed at 3. And, Asad hides at 6. Still can't perform at 6.

Post Misbah and Younis, pakistan is bound to touch it's low, even in tests.
 
fazleefridi said:
Even after years, kohli is batting at 4, in tests. Kohli.

But poor Babar, is throwed at 3. And, Asad hides at 6. Still can't perform at 6.

Post Misbah and Younis, pakistan is bound to touch it's low, even in tests.
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Lame excuse

You earn the right to play at 4. You can't be slotted in there as if your some special being
 
I'd venture and say Kohli and Babar are quite equals in test matches and ODIs. Virat is much better in T20s though. Very similar styles, strike rates and averages.

Not just at that age, but right now.
 
captain crook said:
I'd venture and say Kohli and Babar are quite equals in test matches and ODIs. Virat is much better in T20s though. Very similar styles, strike rates and averages.

Not just at that age, but right now.
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That makes Babar arguably the Top 2 or 3 batsmen in the world currently . Makes sense .
 
captain crook said:
He is easily among the top 5 in ODIs. In tests, neither is Babar (at the moment) nor is Kohli top 5 material.
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Babar is not top 5 in ODIs , not even close . He will need to play at this level of consistency for another 12-18 months . I am not saying he wont , but right now hes just a newbie whos had a very good start to his career . Virat will go down as a ODI ATG if he hnags his boots tomorrow .

As for Tests , Virat has close to 5K runs in the format at an avg of ~50 with 16 hundreds . He may or may not in the Top5 , Babar is not not at his level .
 
Don't ever compare this selfish overhyped one team bully to a living legend
 
Lol babar is gonna take a bit of time to become a complete ODI player.
People don't understand how good IPL has been to develop players games and play in packed stadia
He has the basics there.
 
Surf said:
Don't ever compare this selfish overhyped one team bully to a living legend
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Why don't you leave your good players alone why why 1 maiden and he is called a selfish so and so and kohli in my books isn't even a legend he is just a catch capitaliser
 
Guys chill, Mickey only said this to boost Babar's confidence. He is still an excellent player and will end up as a Pakistani great, just not ATG like Kholi.
 
This might go the way of the Umar Akmal and Kohli comparison thread.

This isn't to say Babar is a bad player, it's just that Kohli is one of the greatest of all time. There's a gulf between the GOAT's and players on the edge of being considered world class :bm
 
Last edited:
17 odi innings against good/decent bowling attacks, yet to play a match winning knock.

Just stating the facts, don't crucify me.
 
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