"I'm looking forward to seeing Babar Azam the most this summer" : Ricky Ponting

[zain7077]

Ponting's warning: 'We haven’t seen the best of him yet'

Of all the international superstars who will be on display this Australian summer, there's one man that Test legend Ricky Ponting is looking forward to seeing the most.

Pakistan ace Babar Azam.

Babar looms as one of the major batting threats in the Pakistan side for the Domain Test Series against the Aussies, starting on Thursday, despite averaging just 35.28 in his 21-Test career.

The 25-year-old, the world's third-ranked ODI batsman and No.1 in T20 cricket, blazed an eye-catching 157 against a strong Australia A bowling attack in Perth last week and Ponting believes it's only a matter of time before the right-hander improves on his underwhelming Test record.

"We haven't seen the best of him yet," Ponting told cricket.com.au.

"Twenty-odd Tests for an average of 35 – he's better than that. He averages 54 in one-day cricket at a strike-rate of about 90.

"He's a very, very classy player.

"He's a really exciting talent and probably the guy I'm looking forward to seeing the most this summer. I've seen the Aussies a lot and I've seen a lot of the Kiwis, but I'm really excited to see him.

"He could be anything."

Ponting hasn't seen much of Babar in the flesh just yet, but he did get a first-hand account of his destructive talents during this year's World Cup.

The three-time Cup winner was an assistant coach for Australia's campaign and during their group match against Pakistan in Taunton, he watched on in amazement as Babar slammed seven fours in just 28 balls against a potent pace attack before being caught on the boundary.

"He looked like he was playing a different game," Ponting remembers.

"As soon as we over-pitched, he banged it through the covers or banged it down the ground. And when we dropped short, he got onto that pretty quickly as well."

Babar was just 22 and three matches into his Test career when he toured Australia three years ago and failed to pass 25 in six innings batting in the crucial No.3 position, with Josh Hazlewood dismissing him four times.

He has since shifted down to No.6 and his unbeaten century in Perth last week, which featured 24 boundaries, came at No.5 in the order.

Ponting believes keeping Babar away from the new ball as much as possible in Test cricket will help unlock his undeniable talent.

"What they've tried with him before obviously hasn't worked (because) when you watch him bat, he's better than a 35 average," he said.

"If they can massage him and help him through a little bit, keep him away from the new ball a little bit here in Australia, then I think they'll get the best out of him."

Babar dazzled against the pink ball in Perth as he posted just the fourth first-class century of his career, with his drives through the covers and down the ground catching the eye.

Having been in Australia since late October for the recent T20 series against Aussies, Babar said he's confident he can adjust local conditions in time for the first Test.

"There is just a bit more bounce and pace here so it requires a wee bit of adjustment," he said.

"But the more you practice and play here, the more you get used to it.

"My goal always is to perform in every single match. The way my form is right now, I want to continue that and carry it into Test matches."

https://www.cricket.com.au/news/ric...kistan-test-series-batter-to-watch/2019-11-19

 

[angrypathan]

Aren't we all

 

[Jabo]

Will be interesting to see how he performs

 

[Pakhs]

It will all about small victories and positives for Pakistan - I would like to see how SAS and Babar perform as big things are expected from them.

 

[Omer2002]

i have a bad feeling ...this is all talk. Clearly they will bombard him with bouncers with fields for the pulls and short legs..and that will be it mark my word.

 

[zain7077]

i have a bad feeling ...this is all talk. Clearly they will bombard him with bouncers with fields for the pulls and short legs..and that will be it mark my word.

Babar plays the short ball very well.

 

[Hyperion66]

Let's see if he can justify the hype around him. My prediction is that he will be outbatted by Azhar and Shafiq.

 

[TeymurBlake]

This will be a big series for him. A lot of vultures are circling him waiting or even anticipating for him to fail. It will be anxious time for him. Hope he performs.

 

[Xoib]

This series will finally decide does Babar belong to the big leagues or he is just a goodish player who will go on to have a middling career.

4 years experience 21 tests and being his second tour to Australia he has no excuses for failure .Personally since SA tour I feel he is batting too quickly for test cricket and.is the.main reason he struggled to go on big in South Africa . An ideal test SR should be in between 50-60 Babar is taking to many risks I feel and motoring along 70-80 which too me shows he is not trusting his defence.

 

[zain7077]

This series will finally decide does Babar belong to the big leagues or he is just a goodish player who will go on to have a middling career.

4 years experience 21 tests and being his second tour to Australia he has no excuses for failure .Personally since SA tour I feel he is batting too quickly for test cricket and.is the.main reason he struggled to go on big in South Africa . An ideal test SR should be in between 50-60 Babar is taking to many risks I feel and motoring along 70-80 which too me shows he is not trusting his defence.

Is it fair to judge his career progression based on a two test series with one being a pink ball game?

 

[Titan24]

This series will finally decide does Babar belong to the big leagues or he is just a goodish player who will go on to have a middling career.

4 years experience 21 tests and being his second tour to Australia he has no excuses for failure .Personally since SA tour I feel he is batting too quickly for test cricket and.is the.main reason he struggled to go on big in South Africa . An ideal test SR should be in between 50-60 Babar is taking to many risks I feel and motoring along 70-80 which too me shows he is not trusting his defence.

He has already batted decently in NZ, Eng and SA (Just need to produce big scores). He is just 25 and I dont think one series of 2 tests at this age can define where he is headed in tests. Smith, Williamson, Kohli(Was averaging 35 odd after his first 14 tests) etc at 24-25 years of age all had poor series in between decent ones but that didnt made them mediocre.

While Babar is yet to prove his pedigree in tests and this series can make him but after 20-22 tests and 25 years of age this shouldn't break him.

But definitely Babar should start producing big scores and should be touching his peak in next 2-3 years in tests too.

 

[Xoib]

Is it fair to judge his career progression based on a two test series with one being a pink ball game?

One series does not define a cricketer but this is a big series coming at the right time as I mentioned he has enough experience and is in good form so he needs to stand up here.

Babar can recover from an average series remember Kohli shocker in England in 2014 and it needed a monster follow up series in Australia 6 months later for many to rate him again and many still shied away till he redeemed himself in England in 2018 Babar needs couple of great SENA tours for people to rate him among the best so thos could be a start despite how he looked in SA he still only averaged mid 30's which is what his test average is at the moment.

 

[Xoib]

He has already batted decently in NZ, Eng and SA (Just need to produce big scores). He is just 25 and I dont think one series of 2 tests at this age can define where he is headed in tests. Smith, Williamson, Kohli(Was averaging 35 odd after his first 14 tests) etc at 24-25 years of age all had poor series in between decent ones but that didnt made them mediocre.

While Babar is yet to prove his pedigree in tests and this series can make him but after 20-22 tests and 25 years of age this shouldn't break him.

But definitely Babar should start producing big scores and should be touching his peak in next 2-3 years in tests too.

Yes one series should not define him but can the pundits be blamed for not rating him among the top players if he fails in Australia for second tour in a row.

 

[Titan24]

Yes one series should not define him but can the pundits be blamed for not rating him among the top players if he fails in Australia for second tour in a row.

Nobody should rate him among the top test players of the world at the moment because he isnt. As based upon stats and big scores he is not among the top Pak players in tests currently let alone being rated among the top test players of the world.

He is rated on potential not because of his numbers at the moment and this two match series can only effect his stats which isnt the reason he is rated anyways. I would be worried if within next 2-3 years he doesnt start turning his potential into numbers as well.

 

[Xoib]

Nobody should rate him among the top test players of the world at the moment because he isnt. As based upon stats and big scores he is not among the top Pak players in tests currently let alone being rated among the top test players of the world.

He is rated on potential not because of his numbers at the moment and this two match series can only effect his stats which isnt the reason he is rated anyways. I would be worried if within next 2-3 years he doesnt start turning his potential into numbers as well.

You have your way of looking at it I have mine by age 25 Kohli had hundreds in Sa and Aus, Kane in India, UAE, Aus and Eng .Smith was bit of a late bloomer but was becoming consistent at this point and about to embark on a monster run which lasted till his ban If Babar does not deliver here or in England and NZl next year with some hundreds and then it's safe to say he will never reach elite test batsmen heights and will be a case of unfulfilled potential.

 

[BlueBeamer]

Its funny how hard the Australian broadcasters are trying hype up this dead series.

 

[Titan24]

You have your way of looking at it I have mine by age 25 Kohli had hundreds in Sa and Aus, Kane in India, UAE, Aus and Eng .Smith was bit of a late bloomer but was becoming consistent at this point and about to embark on a monster run which lasted till his ban If Babar does not deliver here or in England and NZl next year with some hundreds and then it's safe to say he will never reach elite test batsmen heights and will be a case of unfulfilled potential.

Now you are incorporating the next Eng and NZ tour as well which is fair enough as the only point we were differing upon was the exaggerated importance of next 2 tests in Aus. Are they important? Surely they are, but will they define where Babar will go in his test career? Not at all as 2 tests shouldnt be defining a player which is considered as someone with high potential.

No denying that from now to 2 years forward its high time for Babar to start producing big scores as I have said earlier as well. So rather than the next 2 tests its more like next 10-15 tests that will define Babar's test career path.

 

[Hyperion66]

He has already batted decently in NZ, Eng and SA (Just need to produce big scores). He is just 25 and I dont think one series of 2 tests at this age can define where he is headed in tests. Smith, Williamson, Kohli(Was averaging 35 odd after his first 14 tests) etc at 24-25 years of age all had poor series in between decent ones but that didnt made them mediocre.

While Babar is yet to prove his pedigree in tests and this series can make him but after 20-22 tests and 25 years of age this shouldn't break him.

But definitely Babar should start producing big scores and should be touching his peak in next 2-3 years in tests too.

No offence but you guys surely have very low standard when it comes to batting. I thought batting 'Decently' includes at least a century for a batsman with this much hype. Since you brought Kohli here, he already had a century at Adelaide and a fighting half-ton at Waca before even he hit 10 tests and no one called him the next big thing hell at one point he was on the verge of being dropped from test due to low average and inconsistency.

 

[Abdullah719]

Its funny how hard the Australian broadcasters are trying hype up this dead series.

Not as funny as a poster from India using a UK flag and putting his venue as 'Leeds', but hey, who am I to judge...

 

[Titan24]

No offence but you guys surely have very low standard when it comes to batting. I thought batting 'Decently' includes at least a century for a batsman with this much hype. Since you brought Kohli here, he already had a century at Adelaide and a fighting half-ton at Waca before even he hit 10 tests and no one called him the next big thing hell at one point he was on the verge of being dropped from test due to low average and inconsistency.

There is no doubt that we have low standards now a days when it comes to test batting and it shouldnt be a shock as other than Younus, too an extent Misbah and Azhar (In his peak), we havent produced any decent test batsman (Averaging around 45 or + or scoring big tons) in the last decade.

3 overseas test series which I have mentioned of Babar, in NZ he was the highest scorer as well as had the highest individual score for a Pakistani batsman with 90* and in England Pak was 110 odd for 3 when he came in and scored a crucial half century (68 which was the highest score by a Pakistani in that match) and was 1 of the 3 half centuries by Pakistani batsmen in that tour and he played just one innings in that series as he was all set for his 100 before getting hit by a ball and fracturing his wrist/forearm but Pak was able to win that test and Babar's knock turned out to be an important one. Again in SA other than Shan, Babar looked only batsman comfortable to an extent.

So it isnt like I am saying it was extraordinary but definitely decent considering the other batsmen in Pakistani lineup were struggling big time on those tough tours.

 

[Titan24]

There is no doubt that we have low standards now a days when it comes to test batting and it shouldnt be a shock as other than Younus, too an extent Misbah and Azhar (In his peak), we havent produced any decent test batsman (Averaging around 45 or + or scoring big tons) in the last decade.

3 overseas test series which I have mentioned of Babar, in NZ he was the highest scorer as well as had the highest individual score for a Pakistani batsman with 90* and in England Pak was 110 odd for 3 when he came in and scored a crucial half century (68 which was the highest score by a Pakistani in that match) and was 1 of the 3 half centuries by Pakistani batsmen in that tour and he played just one innings in that series as he was all set for his 100 before getting hit by a ball and fracturing his wrist/forearm but Pak was able to win that test and Babar's knock turned out to be an important one. Again in SA other than Shan, Babar looked only batsman comfortable to an extent.

So it isnt like I am saying it was extraordinary but definitely decent considering the other batsmen in Pakistani lineup were struggling big time on those tough tours.

Just to add Azhar also scored a fifty in first test along with Shadab who actually scored 2 in that series.

 

[Rana]

Its funny how hard the Australian broadcasters are trying hype up this dead series.

At least they try. England just like to hype up the Ashes

 

[Green Patriot]

Way too much hype around Babar and Naseem.
I hope they perform.It will be too disappointing otherwise.

 

[shamaan]

The hype around babar is understandable becouse he has done it international cricket even thou its odi and t20

Naseem shah is not stand able becouse he hasnt played international cricket let him play without pressure

 

[MenInG]

Hope this is not going to be one of those threads that will be bumped again and again, for the wrong reasons

 

[JaDed]

Not as funny as a poster from India using a UK flag and putting his venue as 'Leeds', but hey, who am I to judge...

He didn’t know you can see his IP , thats so unfair

 

[JaDed]

Tbf everyone is interested in seeing how Babar faces the challenge and handles pressure, if he is going to go to the next level these kind of statements are good as people know what is expected.

 

[Hyperion66]

There is no doubt that we have low standards now a days when it comes to test batting and it shouldnt be a shock as other than Younus, too an extent Misbah and Azhar (In his peak), we havent produced any decent test batsman (Averaging around 45 or + or scoring big tons) in the last decade.

3 overseas test series which I have mentioned of Babar, in NZ he was the highest scorer as well as had the highest individual score for a Pakistani batsman with 90* and in England Pak was 110 odd for 3 when he came in and scored a crucial half century (68 which was the highest score by a Pakistani in that match) and was 1 of the 3 half centuries by Pakistani batsmen in that tour and he played just one innings in that series as he was all set for his 100 before getting hit by a ball and fracturing his wrist/forearm but Pak was able to win that test and Babar's knock turned out to be an important one. Again in SA other than Shan, Babar looked only batsman comfortable to an extent.

So it isnt like I am saying it was extraordinary but definitely decent considering the other batsmen in Pakistani lineup were struggling big time on those tough tours.

Fair enough, just so you know I do not doubt his talent or potential and consider him a top LOI bat, but in test with an average of 35 he is no where near to being 'decent', I would use the word 'average'.

 

[Saj]

The Aussies will target him, they know he's the stand-out batsman for Pakistan these days.

 

[Mercurial]

Although his FC record is ordinary, most players replicate their domestic records at international level, but still if Babar wants to prove his FC record wrong then he must steal the show in this Test series, otherwise he will remain a LOI cricket specialist.

 

[The Viper]

He has looked in tremendous touch the whole tour so far.

Hopefully he can get the support, as he had to bat with the tail in SA.

 

[Blistering Barnacle]

Ponting is just stating the obvious. Of course we are all interested in seeing how Babar performs.

He will be under a lot of pressure. Hope he pulls thru.

 

[Hyperion66]

He has looked in tremendous touch the whole tour so

Why do you guys take practice and warm up matches this seriously? The real tour hasn't even started yet. Let him face Starc and Cummins in a real game first then we can talk about his form and touch.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Babar has to prove nothing. These 2 test match series are a joke.

 

[The Viper]

Why do you guys take practice and warm up matches this seriously? The real tour hasn't even started yet. Let him face Starc and Cummins in a real game first then we can talk about his form and touch.

I was including T20’s also, even if it is a different format.

 

[Hyperion66]

I was including T20’s also, even if it is a different format.

I agree he did very well in t20s just not sure if t20 form is at all relevant in test matches.

 

[Mercurial]

Babar has to prove nothing. These 2 test match series are a joke.

It is not fantasy cricket

 

[thecrusade911]

He will be batting at 5. Technically there shouldn't be much to look forward to. He will mostly bat with the tail which means he will end up scoring 60s and 70s not big hundreds like he did against South Africa.

 

[Relic]

Why do you guys take practice and warm up matches this seriously? The real tour hasn't even started yet. Let him face Starc and Cummins in a real game first then we can talk about his form and touch.

Firstly, the matches were considered first class matches
Secondly, it was against the Aus A team which means 10 out of the 11 players in the team were international players
So it's not like we should completely disregard that match as merely a "practice" match.

Anyhow, the real series is starting soon so we'll find out

 

[King_Kohli]

No added captaincy pressure, hope he will perform.

 

[tyron_woodley]

Although his FC record is ordinary, most players replicate their domestic records at international level, but still if Babar wants to prove his FC record wrong then he must steal the show in this Test series, otherwise he will remain a LOI cricket specialist.

ab devilliers's average was 40 when he started playing as was his domestic average. He reached 53 by the end of of his test career.

 

[Danyaalr01]

This series will finally decide does Babar belong to the big leagues or he is just a goodish player who will go on to have a middling career.

4 years experience 21 tests and being his second tour to Australia he has no excuses for failure .Personally since SA tour I feel he is batting too quickly for test cricket and.is the.main reason he struggled to go on big in South Africa . An ideal test SR should be in between 50-60 Babar is taking to many risks I feel and motoring along 70-80 which too me shows he is not trusting his defence.

In South Africa he ended up batting with the tail most times and had to score runs quickly as the tail wouldn't have survived.

 

[Dr_Bassim]

People are really poor judge of talents here.

Babar may have underperformed but he is future ATG.

Mark my post 5 years from now.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Whether he does well or not he is cut above all the other Pak batsmen. Couple of freak dismissals you could end up having a bad series. Or he could fail to convert starts. I think he will handle the pace well. Lyon is a secret threat as he could extract bounce.

 

[Danyaalr01]

People are really poor judge of talents here.

Babar may have underperformed but he is future ATG.

Mark my post 5 years from now.

Most people have said this, there are just the usual, odd people who doubt his talent and continue to call him a selfish and mentally weak player. Those people really have no judgement of talent and no knowledge of cricket.

 

[Mercurial]

ab devilliers's average was 40 when he started playing as was his domestic average. He reached 53 by the end of of his test career.

Let us see if he can turn it around. I think this series will be the climax in his Test career.

 

[Raja111]

The pitches here will be good to bat on compared to South Africa's! so with some support from the other guys I expect him to score a couple of century this series!

 

[Xoib]

Babar has to prove nothing. These 2 test match series are a joke.

In tests Babar has everything to prove if he is our best batting hope of this century then he should atleast be averaging 40 plus by the time he enters his peak years in couple of years time a good series here will surely enhance his reputation and set him on his way.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

In tests Babar has everything to prove if he is our best batting hope of this century then he should atleast be averaging 40 plus by the time he enters his peak years in couple of years time a good series here will surely enhance his reputation and set him on his way.

I was talking about this two match series which is unfair for batsmen, one of them being day/night makes it even worse.

 

[Xoib]

I was talking about this two match series which is unfair for batsmen, one of them being day/night makes it even worse.

You make do with what you have Pakistan is
not a marquee team to Aus now due to past results that we get a bumper 3 test tours.Last 4 three test tours were whitewashed so I struggle to see Paksitan getting any 3 test series in SNA in the near future unless we start being competitive again.

Two tests will be what Babar mostly get on away tours now he has to make most of these opportunities and look to score consistently. Someone like Andy Flower or Sangakara mostly got tw test series yet still averaged 50 plus despite keeping so if you are quality you will get your runs no matter the situation.

 

[MenInG]

Test legend Ricky Ponting says Pakistan's eye-catching display in Perth last week has ended any thought that Australia will cruise through their upcoming two-Test series, saying the tourists "won’t be a pushover" as they chase their first-ever series win down under.

Pakistan haven't won a Test in Australia in almost 25 years and with the hosts coming off a successful Ashes campaign in England this year, where they retained the urn for the first time since 2001, Tim Paine's side are heavy favourites against what is an inexperienced visiting team.

Ponting agrees and is predicting a 2-0 series win for the hosts, but says Pakistan's dominant display with bat and ball against a strong Australia A side in their tour match a week ago should have the Aussies on high alert.

"Some of the (Australian) batsmen going into the first Test might just be a little bit wary of what they saw in Perth," Ponting told cricket.com.au.

"There was some serious pace there, some great control from Imran Khan and we know that Mohammad Abbas has got great control and the ability to nip the ball back into the right-handers.

"They won't be a pushover.

"And on the batting side, they've got a few guys that we saw in Perth who can really play. I’m interested to see how they go."

Star batsmen Babar Azam and Asad Shafiq impressed in Perth, but it was the hostile display from uncapped teenager Naseem Shah that especially caught the eye, the right-armer roughing up the A side's batsmen to firm for a Test debut at the Gabba this week.

Naseem and fellow teenage quicks Shaheen Afridi and Musa Khan are all in Australia and Ponting says Pakistan's ability to produce exceptionally talented players, particularly during a decade-long absence of Test cricket at home, should be acknowledged.

"They've got so much talent," he said. "And in the last 10 years when they haven't been playing home Test matches (for security reasons), they've done a remarkable job to be as competitive as they have and continue to bring on the level of talented players they have.

"They have this ability to pluck these players out of nowhere. They have this 16-year-old and a 17-year-old here, who hopefully we’ll get a chance to see.

"It's the same with their whole team – you're just never really sure what they're going to do."

While the trio of young quicks have dominated the headlines in recent weeks, the relative veteran Mohammad Abbas is expected to lead the Pakistan attack, 12 months after he ripped through Australia's batsmen in their series in the UAE.

Bowlers like Abbas who bowl around the 130km/h mark have traditionally struggled to make an impact in flat Australian conditions, but Ponting believes a lively early-season pitch at the Gabba and the pink-ball Test in Adelaide could play into the hands of the 29-year-old.

"If he can do it on really flat pitches like he did in the UAE against us, why can't he do it in Brisbane and Adelaide where it's going to offer something?" Ponting said.

"Whenever the ball moves, we know it'll challenge the Australian players.

"He's going to have to get some lateral movement somewhere ... but Brisbane and Adelaide will probably provide that for him."

However, Ponting is still expecting a 2-0 series win for the Australians, saying their impressive bowling attack should prove to be the difference.

"We know the Australian attack ... is probably the best in the world right now, so they'll challenge the Pakistani batsman, for sure," he said.

"There's some uncertainty around our batting that we know about and the Pakistan attack will be OK.

"Pakistan shouldn’t win a Test, but we’ll see."

https://www.cricket.com.au/news/ric...st-test-the-gabba-perth-tour-match/2019-11-20

 

[NauV]

Have a bad feeling about this one . . with the amount of focus and emphasis on Babar, I feel this will be an epic let down . .
Don't remember the last time any one of our batsmen performed under such expectations . . maybe we haven't had such a batsman in a long time . . maybe Yousuf?

I feel like all the Babar thrashing threads are going to come up roaring back even post one failure

 

[sweep_shot]

Scored just 1.

Not a great start to Babar's Aussie Test journey.

 

[Rayyman]

Way too much hype for a batsman who averages 35.

 

[AamchiMumbaikar]

Such a good start. No pressure. Batting first and he scores 1.

If he can't score in test matches then he will never be in fab 4

 

[Abdul]

This guy is so overrated that it's embarrassing. Shameful stuff.

 

[Haripotter]

Poor man's yuvraj Singh in the making

 

[jiduguravindra]

Have a bad feeling about this one . . with the amount of focus and emphasis on Babar, I feel this will be an epic let down . .
Don't remember the last time any one of our batsmen performed under such expectations . . maybe we haven't had such a batsman in a long time . . maybe Yousuf?

I feel like all the Babar thrashing threads are going to come up roaring back even post one failure

Picture perfect prediction.

 

[Buffet]

Too harsh criticism for some one who is 25 years old. Many gun batsmen had below average stats when they were 25 years old. I am not sayng that Babar is going to be a gun test batsman, but fans shiould keep some perspective. There haevn't been many SRTs or Lara's.

 

[Snowflake]

I hope Ricky didn't blink!

 

[Xoib]

As I mentioned earlier he is trying to bat too quick and not trusting his defense he is going st 70 above SR when he should target about 50 unless you are Viv or Warner Segwag type dasher this will not work.

 

[BlueBeamer]

Say what you want but you can't beat the ozzies at mind games. Seems like the hype got to Babar's head.

 

[Relic]

Just looked at Babar's dismissal and I'm pretty surprised. I thought it was a normal edge to first slip. Looks like the pressure got to him.
It was a very wide delivery I just don't say why he would go for it

 

[shah_1]

Nothing shot from him

He is better than that, it was a nervous shot from him.

 

[Danyaalr01]

Someone needs to have a talk with Babar, sometimes a talk with a big player can change things. Have a chat with Ponting, sometimes great ex cricketers can give advice that can make test crickt look simpler than it is.

 

[Xoib]

As I mentioned earlier he is trying to bat too quick and not trusting his defense he is going st 70 above SR when he should target about 50 unless you are Viv or Warner Segwag type dasher this will not work.

I reiterate this again Babar has to trust his defense he is not a batsman who will score at 70-80 SR most good batsman target a SR of 50-60.

 

[Hyperion66]

Not even a few pretty drives this time, sad

 

[Ab Fan]

He will get more chances and he can come good but fans should stop making any comparisons with the Fab four because the benchmark is higher.

Babar doesn't have 10 hundreds to his name that we should be making any sort of comparisons in test cricket with the Fab four.

 

[Hyperion66]

He will get more chances and he can come good but fans should stop making any comparisons with the Fab four because the benchmark is higher.

Babar doesn't have 10 hundreds to his name that we should be making any sort of comparisons in test cricket with the Fab four.

Imagine what will happen if he somehow scores a century? PP will explode lol, already threads running declaring Babar-Haris to be the best batting duo after a couple of partnership in UAE.

 

[saeed5646]

Why do you guys take practice and warm up matches this seriously? The real tour hasn't even started yet. Let him face Starc and Cummins in a real game first then we can talk about his form and touch.

Poor man's yuvraj Singh in the making

Not even a few pretty drives this time, sad ��

Imagine what will happen if he somehow scores a century? PP will explode lol, already threads running declaring Babar-Haris to be the best batting duo after a couple of partnership in UAE.

so he did scored hundred in just second inning

 

[saeed5646]

This guy is so overrated that it's embarrassing. Shameful stuff.

the only shameful stuff is coming from azhar ali/asad shafiq whose form have cost atleast 3 to 4 test matches .

 

[saeed5646]

Poor man's yuvraj Singh in the making

yuvraj have only 3 hundred in his entire test career .Babar already have 2 so

 

[Mean&Green]

Not even a few pretty drives this time, sad ��

Jali Na another 100 for a hater like you enjoy

 

[topspin]

Let's see if he can justify the hype around him. My prediction is that he will be outbatted by Azhar and Shafiq.

Your poor reading of the game exposed yet again.

 

[topspin]

This guy is so overrated that it's embarrassing. Shameful stuff.

Coming from a Misbah fan, you really have the audacity to say this?

Anyway he’s made you eat your words with a ton, so perhaps time to zip it :

 

[shah_1]

The most stylish batsman in world cricket though he isn't as good as Kohli or Smith right now.

He needs to score daddy hundreds against weaker attacks(SL and Bangladesh next two series) to boost his average like other greats do.

 

[Abdul]

Coming from a Misbah fan, you really have the audacity to say this?

Anyway he’s made you eat your words with a ton, so perhaps time to zip it :

http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/s...tch-Thread&p=10558109&highlight=#post10558109

 

[jiduguravindra]

The most stylish batsman in world cricket though he isn't as good as Kohli or Smith right now.

He needs to score daddy hundreds against weaker attacks(SL and Bangladesh next two series) to boost his average like other greats do.

Unlike in limited overs u have to make tough runs to get recognition, not by scoring against sl and ban..He need to hit at least one hundreds in every SENA countries to be regarded as good batsmen.

 

[MeanAndGreen]

When this guy inevitably takes his test average to where it belongs (the talent is there no doubt), a lot of people on this thread will learn the difference between using your eye to judge talent rather than looking at spreadsheets and Cricinfo stats taken at certain stages in time.

I remember a couple of years back posters here were saying Babar is in the same category as Shehzad and inferior to the likes of Fakhar, Malik, etc. Funny how now the same people are arguing that he isn't part of the Fab 4, world class, etc. From comparing him with Shehzad to comparing him with Root, Williamson, Kohli, etc...Babar is sure as hell making a lot of people look foolish.

 

[Roaring40s]

I challenge that Babar wouldn't have made this 100, in fact would have failed to score a fifty had Pattinson played who is a much superior bowler to Starc.

Ask [MENTION=132916]Junaids[/MENTION].

Also don't forget Oz are without their top ball maintainer AKA Bancroft.