Is Babar Azam now part of the Fab 5?

[MenInG]

Lots of debates about how he could become part of the Fab 5 - but given his recent performances and his rankings, think its time to ask this question again.

 

[ElRaja]

there is no fab anymore, williamson and smiths recent performances have been a level below joe roots, and kohli has been pretty poor for two years now. babar has a long way to go before he can be considered anywhere close to root in test cricket.

 

[ChTab]

So far Babar's test record say 1 century away which is very very very poor, if by some miracle he could elevate this in near future then I'd say yes otherwise it's a big NO

 

[Hextro]

I voted yes despite the fact that there's no such thing known as the fab 5. I'm pretty sure Babar is the best all-format batsman in the world. The fab 4 are slowly being fazed out. Joe Root is the only fab 4 member remaining that's still scoring substantial runs. As things stand Babar is a better all-format batsman than everyone in the fab 4 on current form. Kohli is currently the worst fab 4 member.

 

[CricketingMinds]

Babar needs to score big in test matches also. The upcoming SL series is a great opportunity to score some daddy 100s

 

[Saj]

Well if it's down to the rankings then he's the only one in the top 10 in all 3 formats. In fact he is in the top 5 in all three formats.

 

[sweep_shot]

Without a doubt.

As a matter of fact, Babar is currently better than both Smith and Kohli.

 

[Champ_Pal]

Babar is part of Fab 3.

Kohli and Steve Smith are not part of any Fab group. They are past it. In Kohli's case he is done and dusted. He is simply playing for money.

 

[Rajdeep]

There is no concept of Fab 5 anymore.

Babar is the best all format batsman in the world.

Root is the best test batsman.

Smith is on a decline and Kohli/Kane is not even in picture anymore.

Babar anyway should not be compared with those players as they were from separate era just like Kohli/Kane etc. were never compared with Amla/AB Delivilliers.

Players should be compared in their peaks. In that sense Babar's competitor's are KL Rahul, Aiden Markram, Marnus Labuschange, Karunarathne etc.

 

[Firebat]

Those guys are past their peaks and from a different generation, that's why they were grouped together.

Of the current generation Babar is in the Fab 1.

 

[MenInG]

Those guys are past their peaks and from a different generation, that's why they were grouped together.

Of the current generation Babar is in the Fab 1.

Brilliantly put - he is just getting better and better.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Thing is, that most of these guys will fade away a few years from now. Root is going to dominate tests for a few more years. Because no one who is on his level is playing as many tests as him. But even he has limited time left on his career.

The age of Babar has only just begun. What I am interested to see is if there are any new batters that are capable of challenging him. Right now, there doesn't seem like there is anyone.

 

[Mainul]

there is no fab anymore, williamson and smiths recent performances have been a level below joe roots, and kohli has been pretty poor for two years now. babar has a long way to go before he can be considered anywhere close to root in test cricket.

I agree. 2 of the fab 4 is now out of the league. Williamson is still there, he is struggling with injuries. Babar is a fab in ODI and T20s , no doubt but in test he has still some way to go.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

He should score a lot more heavily in tests.

Although Kohli's decline is the one that has garnered the most attention, I think Smith has receded greatly and is no more the dynamic LOI batter he was a few years ago. He has looked low in intensity and tired in LOIs something that was unheard of till a few years ago. In tests, he hasn't scored a 100 for over a year now although i expect it to change in near future.

 

[James]

Joe Root and Babar Azam — the New Top Two?

 

[Buffet]

Long way to go in test to be considered a top class batsman. I think he has 1-2 away test ton. Needs to raise that number to 8-10.

On question of fab 4, he is not part of that. Totally different generation.

 

[Firebat]

Joe Root and Babar Azam — the New Top Two?

I would even be hesitant to group those 2 together. Root is way ahead in Tests and Babar equally ahead in white ball.

Since 2019 WC, Root has played 39 Tests while Babar has played 19. On the other hand, Root has played 9 white ball matches while Babar has played 61.

They're different players at different points in their career, with different priorities/responsibilities.

People say Babar has to do more in the Test arena to be put next to those guys, but their averages in the last 3 years:

Babar - 59.9 (19 Tests)
Smith - 54.9 (21 Tests)
Root - 50.9 (39 Tests)
Williamson - 50.0 (15 Tests)
Kohli 37.6 (24 Tests)

Of course, despite that, no one is going to sit here and say Babar is on their level in red-ball cricket. They've all played for a lot longer against higher quality opposition therefore have quantitatively achieved a lot more. So, I find this a fruitless discussion to have at this point in his career.

Compared to anyone in his own generation, he's the only one at the top in all 3 formats.

 

[shamaan]

I voted yes despite the fact that there's no such thing known as the fab 5. I'm pretty sure Babar is the best all-format batsman in the world. The fab 4 are slowly being fazed out. Joe Root is the only fab 4 member remaining that's still scoring substantial runs. As things stand Babar is a better all-format batsman than everyone in the fab 4 on current form. Kohli is currently the worst fab 4 member.

Am sure the top 4 is based upon tests but do correct me if am wrong.

 

[Waleed93]

He is currently better than all of them, except Root in Tests.

However, there is no such thing as Fab 5, as we are talking about a batsman from a different generation.

Kohli, Root, Smith and Williamson all belonged to the same generation of players, who played in the same era, and went on to become the 4 best batsmen of the 4 best teams in the world, hence the media fabricated "Fab 4" title.

Babar belongs to the next generation of players, and at the moment, he seems head and shoulders above his peers, even if there is room for improvement for him in the longest format.

That being said, he may retire with a bigger white ball legacy than all of the Fab 4 guys except Kohli.

He is bound to dominate Tests as well, it's just a matter of time.

 

[daytrader]

I think the Fab 4 concept is finished. Will need to see some comebacks from Kohli and Williamson. On current form, Babar is ahead.

 

[Hextro]

Am sure the top 4 is based upon tests but do correct me if am wrong.

I'm pretty sure people take all formats into consideration when talking about the fab 4.

 

[Mesozoic]

I'm pretty sure people take all formats into consideration when talking about the fab 4.

It was primarily about Test cricket. And Babar still has a lot to do there.

 

[Mesozoic]

Fab 4 will always be Smith, Kohli, Root and Williamson no matter how desperate pak fans try to force Babar in there.

All those 4 were from a different generation and made their debuts in the same period (2010-11) and were expected to lead their respective sides in 4-5 years. If the criteria was just to smack a few odi hundreds and have a decentish test record, then the likes of De kock, Warner etc too would have made it to that list. That's not how that works.

 

[Hextro]

It was primarily about Test cricket. And Babar still has a lot to do there.

On current form Babar is better than Kohli, Kane, and Steve in test cricket. Although I have a question, who said the fab 4 was primarily about Test cricket? I always assumed the fab was about all format performance.

 

[Titan24]

Fab 4 will always be Smith, Kohli, Root and Williamson no matter how desperate pak fans try to force Babar in there.

All those 4 were from a different generation and made their debuts in the same period (2010-11) and were expected to lead their respective sides in 4-5 years. If the criteria was just to smack a few odi hundreds and have a decentish test record, then the likes of De kock, Warner etc too would have made it to that list. That's not how that works.

Fab 4 as you said were from different generation and had their peak together. The only reason Babar is forced to be compared with them is because Babar has no contemporary of enough quality from his generation to be compared with him along with him being good enough to be considered in the same lenses as the great players in or past their peak (Number of cricket experts and commies have compared). Add to it the fact that Babar is owning the rankings.

Ofcourse Babar cant have as much 100s or runs at 27 years of age when the other guys are close to mid 30s and 3 of them playing much more test cricket but, Babar with his starting peak phase is matching rather surpassing some of the Fab 4 performance currently when we talk about 3 formats and there is no sub 30 age group player even near Babar in terms of impact in bilateral or world tournaments in last few years.

I dont see much desperation. I just see a quality young batsman entering his peak years with not much competition around to be compared with the best batsmen of last decade when he is leaving them behind in the rankings. It never was supposed to be the comparison, its the class of Babar Azam that has made it one and lack of class on offer from other teams in similar age group. Yes Babar has a lot to do in test cricket but, he has almost a decade to go as well.

 

[Mesozoic]

On current form Babar is better than Kohli, Kane, and Steve in test cricket. Although I have a question, who said the fab 4 was primarily about Test cricket? I always assumed the fab was about all format performance.

On current form, even Rahul, Nissanka, Daryl Mitchell, Bairstow etc are better than them. Doesn't mean they must be added into some fab list.

'Fab 4' was a term first used by Martin Crowe in the below Cricinfo article. Read the title of the article.

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/martin-crowe-test-cricket-s-young-fab-four-774705

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Fab 4 will always be Smith, Kohli, Root and Williamson no matter how desperate pak fans try to force Babar in there.

All those 4 were from a different generation and made their debuts in the same period (2010-11) and were expected to lead their respective sides in 4-5 years. If the criteria was just to smack a few odi hundreds and have a decentish test record, then the likes of De kock, Warner etc too would have made it to that list. That's not how that works.

Calm down. OP is talking about Fab 5 not Fab 4. Don't worry nobody is pulling out Kohli from Fab 4 and replacing him with Babar.

 

[Mesozoic]

Fab 4 as you said were from different generation and had their peak together. The only reason Babar is forced to be compared with them is because Babar has no contemporary of enough quality from his generation to be compared with him along with him being good enough to be considered in the same lenses as the great players in or past their peak (Number of cricket experts and commies have compared). Add to it the fact that Babar is owning the rankings.

Ofcourse Babar cant have as much 100s or runs at 27 years of age when the other guys are close to mid 30s and 3 of them playing much more test cricket but, Babar with his starting peak phase is matching rather surpassing some of the Fab 4 performance currently when we talk about 3 formats and there is no sub 30 age group player even near Babar in terms of impact in bilateral or world tournaments in last few years.

Surpassing players who are well into their mid 30s and past their primes (VK, Smith, Kane) isn't a huge deal. All those were completely different beasts in their peak years and played some scintillating knocks on multiple occasions.

So far, Babar has just 2 or maybe 3 such knocks in his entire career where there was some sort of challenge to his overall skillset. The world Cup knock against New Zealand , last year's hundred in South Africa against their first choice attack and the recent 190 odd against Australia on day 5 to draw the game. He has the same number of away hundreds in his 6 year long test career (pretty big sample size) as Anil Kumble, Yasir Shah, Ajit Agarkar and Jason Gillespie. That's a bad bad look on his credentials in the premier format, on which this whole fab 4 thing was based on.

 

[Mesozoic]

Calm down. OP is talking about Fab 5 not Fab 4. Don't worry nobody is pulling out Kohli from Fab 4 and replacing him with Babar.

I am calm Lol. Don't get triggered and assume things now. I am not even a big supporter of Kohli so this won't work on me.

 

[Hextro]

On current form, even Rahul, Nissanka, Daryl Mitchell, Bairstow etc are better than them. Doesn't mean they must be added into some fab list.

'Fab 4' was a term first used by Martin Crowe in the below Cricinfo article. Read the title of the article.

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/martin-crowe-test-cricket-s-young-fab-four-774705

I don't think you've read my position on the whole "fab 5" thing. There's no such thing as a fab 5. Comparing Babar with members of the fab 4 would be a disservice to Babar because Babar hasn't even fully explored his peak yet unlike the 31+ year old fab 4 members, most of whom have passed their peak. The average age of fab 4 members is over 32 years old. This would make the average fab 4 members around 5 years older than Babar.

If people want to create a fab 4 that includes Babar they're better off including members that are at the same or similar position in their career. It's hard to include someone like KL Rahul in a fab 4 because he is already 30+ years old, compare to Babar who is only 27 years old. Someone like Marnus would be the perfect candidate to be a member of a hypothetical modern fab 4.

 

[Ab Fan]

Calm down. OP is talking about Fab 5 not Fab 4. Don't worry nobody is pulling out Kohli from Fab 4 and replacing him with Babar.

Tests :

Smith - 9.5/10
Root - 8.5/10 ( Aus counts against him)
Kohli - 8/10
Williamson - 7/10( poor average in South Africa, England, India and Sri Lanka and at home vs Aus who are their main rivals)

LOIs :

Kohli - 9.5
Kane - 7
Root - 7
Smith - 7

IPL :

Kohli's 2016 = All three combined

 

[Extra_Cover]

Let's please do away with Fab 4 like terms which were used in past. Today, Babar is Babar and he stands at top of batting charts and ranks alone. There is no one in his generation to match him and that is something to be very proud of as a Pakistani fan.

 

[Hextro]

My ratings for the fab 4 and Babar would be the following.

ODIs:

Babar - 8, 9.5(current form)

Kohli - 9, 6.5(current form)

Root - 8.5, 7.5(current form)

Kane - 7.5, 8.5(current form)

Steve - 8, 9(current form)

Tests:

Babar - 6.5, 8.5(current form)

Kohli - 8, 5(current form)

Root - 8.5, 9.5(current form)

Kane - 8.5, 7(current form)

Steve - 9.5, 7(current form)

T20Is:

Babar - 8, 8.5(current form)

Kohli - 8.5, 8.5(current form)

Root - 7(Root hasn't played a T20I since 2019)

Kane - 6.5, 5.5(current form)

Steve - 6, 4.5(current form)

I think this list is pretty accurate.

 

[Cricfan4eva]

Fab4 are on the wane. Babar is on the rise. Their trajectories are different.

Babar can start a club of his own now. I don't see a lot of other entrants atm though that are in his age group and showing as much consistency as him.

 

[Rajdeep]

My ratings for the fab 4 and Babar would be the following.

ODIs:

Babar - 8, 9.5(current form)

Kohli - 9, 6.5(current form)

Root - 8.5, 7.5(current form)

Kane - 7.5, 8.5(current form)

Steve - 8, 9(current form)

Tests:

Babar - 6.5, 8.5(current form)

Kohli - 8, 5(current form)

Root - 8.5, 9.5(current form)

Kane - 8.5, 7(current form)

Steve - 9.5, 7(current form)

T20Is:

Babar - 8, 8.5(current form)

Kohli - 8.5, 8.5(current form)

Root - 7(Root hasn't played a T20I since 2019)

Kane - 6.5, 5.5(current form)

Steve - 6, 4.5(current form)

I think this list is pretty accurate.

Kohli 8.5 in current T20 form is bit high in my opinion. You have also rated Babar Azam as 8.5.

No way Babar & Kohli are on equal footings in T20 batting currently.

Kohli should be somewhere around 6.

Also, I would rate Kohli overall rating in T20s as 9...guy was a beast in this format during his peak years.

 

[Hextro]

Kohli 8.5 in current T20 form is bit high in my opinion. You have also rated Babar Azam as 8.5.

No way Babar & Kohli are on equal footings in T20 batting currently.

Kohli should be somewhere around 6.

Also, I would rate Kohli overall rating in T20s as 9...guy was a beast in this format during his peak years.

8.5 for Kohli's current T20I form is fine. Kohli has been batting very well in international T20s for the past year or so. Babar needs to further increase his SR in T20s if he wants to be considered a "must have" T20 batsman.

If I had to make changes I would bring Kane's overall test rating down to 8 from 8.5, and I would bring Kohli's overall T20I rating up to 9.5 from 8.5. I forgot how good Kohli used to be in T20Is.

 

[MP2011]

8.5 for Kohli's current T20I form is fine. Kohli has been batting very well in international T20s for the past year or so.

Kohli's average's may look good but he is striking @ 130-odd during last 2 years which is way lower than his overall strike rate in T20s. So don't think he is batting very well in T20s.

Nothing good ever comes out of a good T20 average if its coming at low S/r. Also, Kohli opens/bats at 3, so this s/r isn't acceptable.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

I am calm Lol. Don't get triggered and assume things now. I am not even a big supporter of Kohli so this won't work on me.

Calm down again and don't shoot the messenger for reminding you what the thread title is. Thanks.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Tests :

Smith - 9.5/10
Root - 8.5/10 ( Aus counts against him)
Kohli - 8/10
Williamson - 7/10( poor average in South Africa, England, India and Sri Lanka and at home vs Aus who are their main rivals)

LOIs :

Kohli - 9.5
Kane - 7
Root - 7
Smith - 7

IPL :

Kohli's 2016 = All three combined

Not sure why did you quote me lol? What is your point?

 

[Ab Fan]

The new Fab Four is :

1. Rishabh Pant
2. Babar Azam
3. Marnus Labuschagne
4. ??( Open spot for anyone)

Out of these three, Babar is the weakest in the format that is most relevant, tests.

Tests - Pant( bullied Australia in Australia and England at home) > Labuschagne ( bullied mostly at home) > Babar( yet to bully anyone)

ODIs and T20Is :- Babar >>>> Pant > Marnus

4th spot is open, I would like Markram to take up that but let's see how things goes for him.

 

[sweep_shot]

There is no more Fab 5 or Fab 4.

It has become Fab 2 (Root and Babar).

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

The new Fab Four is :

1. Rishabh Pant
2. Babar Azam
3. Marnus Labuschagne
4. ??( Open spot for anyone)

Out of these three, Babar is the weakest in the format that is most relevant, tests.

Tests - Pant( bullied Australia in Australia and England at home) > Labuschagne ( bullied mostly at home) > Babar( yet to bully anyone)

ODIs and T20Is :- Babar >>>> Pant > Marnus

4th spot is open, I would like Markram to take up that but let's see how things goes for him.

Pant isn't even in ICC Top 10 Test batsmen currently and he is in your Fab 4 list.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

There is no more Fab 5 or Fab 4.

It has become Fab 2 (Root and Babar).

Yes that is how it is currently.

 

[Ab Fan]

Pant isn't even in ICC Top 10 Test batsmen currently and he is in your Fab 4 list.

ICC Tests ranking are farce. They don't consider the difference between home and away performance.

Pant is not Top 10, he is number 1 in tests in terms of relevant match winning knocks as he bullied Australia in Australia.

Babar couldn't even save a test series at home vs Australia while Marnus failed to save a test series at home vs India too and in the presence of ATGs like Smith and Cummins.

So, keep your back in your pocket

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

ICC Tests ranking are farce. They don't consider the difference between home and away performance.

Pant is not Top 10, he is number 1 in tests in terms of relevant match winning knocks as he bullied Australia in Australia.

Babar couldn't even save a test series at home vs Australia while Marnus failed to save a test series at home vs India too and in the presence of ATGs like Smith and Cummins.

So, keep your back in your pocket

May be you are new to cricket and terms like Fab 4 and consistency. You can't be in Fab 4 if you are not consistent in scoring runs. If he is not even in ICC Top 10 rankings then that means he is not scoring enough runs to be in that list.

 

[Ab Fan]

May be you are new to cricket and terms like Fab 4 and consistency. You can't be in Fab 4 if you are not consistent in scoring runs. If he is not even in ICC Top 10 rankings then that means he is not scoring enough runs to be in that list.

What's your point here?

Rishabh Pant 30 tests, 1920 runs, 20 tests played in SENA.(67%)
Babar Azam 40 tests, 2800 runs, 14 tests played in SENA(33%).
Marnus has mostly scored runs at home so not sure how highly should he be rated after failure vs Pakistan. Babar has more runs because he has played more games. That's the only point where he is ahead. In terms of quality runs, opposition strength and match winning knocks, Pant is hands down no.1 in tests.

Note - I know my stats very well buddy. Perhaps it is you who needs to get more experience in this game and then come back.

 

[shamaan]

It was primarily about Test cricket. And Babar still has a lot to do there.

If it just based upon tests then yes agreed.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

What's your point here?

Rishabh Pant 30 tests, 1920 runs, 20 tests played in SENA.(67%)
Babar Azam 40 tests, 2800 runs, 14 tests played in SENA(33%).
Marnus has mostly scored runs at home so not sure how highly should he be rated after failure vs Pakistan. Babar has more runs because he has played more games. That's the only point where he is ahead. In terms of quality runs, opposition strength and match winning knocks, Pant is hands down no.1 in tests.

Note - I know my stats very well buddy. Perhaps it is you who needs to get more experience in this game and then come back.

I think you yourself said in one of your post that Australia has flat wickets so these are his averages in :

Aus : 62
Eng : 23
NZ : 15
SA : 37
West Indies : 19.33

Maybe you in your blind love for Pant only take his Australian stats into consideration but ICC doesn't.

 

[Unbiased-Fan]

But why on the earth, these Babar fans wants him to be part of Fab four. There were legendary Devilliers and Amla, but no one even discussed about their inclusion in the group. Likes of Ross Taylor, Rohit Sharma and de Kock are all format stalwarts, but are they part of fab four??
Fab Four will always be associated with legendary Kohli, Root, Williamson and Smith.
If Babar wants to be part of fab four, make a seperate group for him including players like Rahul, Dekock and Labuschagne.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

It seems most of the fans can't even read the OP properly. OP is talking about Fab 5 but they are getting offended by it and discussing about Fab 4.

 

[Ab Fan]

I think you yourself said in one of your post that Australia has flat wickets so these are his averages in :

Aus : 62
Eng : 23
NZ : 15
SA : 37
West Indies : 19.33

Maybe you in your blind love for Pant only take his Australian stats into consideration but ICC doesn't.

Wrong information. Among the younger generation players, Pant has performed at home and Australia. Babar and Marnus have performed only at home although even there they couldn't save test series vs Australia and India respectively. Pant is way ahead in tests, he has performed and bullied Australia in Australia, Babar and Marnus haven't bullied anyone away from home and lost a home series vs top team both. Scoring runs vs weaker teams don't make anyone no 1.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Wrong information. Among the younger generation players, Pant has performed at home and Australia. Babar and Marnus have performed only at home although even there they couldn't save test series vs Australia and India respectively. Pant is way ahead in tests, he has performed and bullied Australia in Australia, Babar and Marnus haven't bullied anyone away from home and lost a home series vs top team both. Scoring runs vs weaker teams don't make anyone no 1.

I think you are the only one who thinks that Pant is the number 1 batsman in tests. Not even die hard Pant fans will agree with your trolling.

 

[Ab Fan]

I think you are the only one who thinks that Pant is the number 1 batsman in tests. Not even die hard Pant fans will agree with your trolling.

So you are back to asking for help from other posters now that you don't have a explanation to back your argument??

Giving you a suggestion here if you cannot back your argument on your own, then better not to quote mindlessly just for the sake of it

 

[Unbiased-Fan]

I think you are the only one who thinks that Pant is the number 1 batsman in tests. Not even die hard Pant fans will agree with your trolling.

Hr is not saying that Pant is no. 1 batsman in test. He is saying that, Pant is better than Labuschagne and Azam as he has already series winning contributions against tougher oppositions.
Common sense to understand.

 

[shamaan]

But why on the earth, these Babar fans wants him to be part of Fab four. There were legendary Devilliers and Amla, but no one even discussed about their inclusion in the group. Likes of Ross Taylor, Rohit Sharma and de Kock are all format stalwarts, but are they part of fab four??
Fab Four will always be associated with legendary Kohli, Root, Williamson and Smith.
If Babar wants to be part of fab four, make a seperate group for him including players like Rahul, Dekock and Labuschagne.

How is Quinton de kock in the same league as Babar your talking nonsense even Rohit isn't in the same league as babar.

How can de kock be considered part of the new fab 4 when he's already retired in tests.

 

[shamaan]

Wrong information. Among the younger generation players, Pant has performed at home and Australia. Babar and Marnus have performed only at home although even there they couldn't save test series vs Australia and India respectively. Pant is way ahead in tests, he has performed and bullied Australia in Australia, Babar and Marnus haven't bullied anyone away from home and lost a home series vs top team both. Scoring runs vs weaker teams don't make anyone no 1.

Babar has average of 65 in England and 48 against New Zealand how can you say he only performed at home?

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

How is Quinton de kock in the same league as Babar your talking nonsense even Rohit isn't in the same league as babar.

How can de kock be considered part of the new fab 4 when he's already retired in tests.

Because De Kock plays in IPL and Babar doesn't.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Babar has average of 65 in England and 48 against New Zealand how can you say he only performed at home?

Only scores in flat Australian wickets matter these days. You shouldn't bring NZ into discussion because Pant had a very poor outing there.

 

[shamaan]

Only scores in flat Australian wickets matter these days. You shouldn't bring NZ into discussion because Pant had a very poor outing there.

Even kohli doesn't average close to 40 in new zealand

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Even kohli doesn't average close to 40 in new zealand

You are more than welcome to say

Babar > Kohli in NZ

 

[shamaan]

You are more than welcome to say

Babar > Kohli in NZ

More like Babar> koli,Pant

 

[IMMY69]

Kohli was the best chaser I have even seen, especially between 2014 and 2018.
He was simply mesmerising with the bat.

For his achievements I would actually put him in the very top tier which, if we take the last 25 years into account, includes Lara, Ponting and Tendulkar.

I just hope he doesn't destroy his legacy by carrying on and it does seem like he is past his best.

Babar special and many pundits and his contemporaries rate as one of not the best batsmen currently in the world. He's not just prolific but aesthetically pleasing. The kind of batsman people would pay good money to watch.

Also this has to be across formats. If we took just tests as a benchmark then the fab 4 suddenly becomes the fab 8 or 9. For example Younis Khan was prolific in test matches but was never grouped in the top 4 or seen as a work ATG. When you're doing it across all formats, that player just stands out more.

Babar has the chance to get into top 10 ATG but he needs to score more test centuries and he needs to do it overseas.

 

[Slim]

Babar is clearly the best all format batsman in the world currently. Doesnt need any Fab Shab validation. The original Fab 4 has fizzled out.

 

[Slim]

How is Quinton de kock in the same league as Babar your talking nonsense even Rohit isn't in the same league as babar.

How can de kock be considered part of the new fab 4 when he's already retired in tests.

Babar has average of 65 in England and 48 against New Zealand how can you say he only performed at home?

You and BVB bhai are taking the trollers to the cleaners

 

[Ab Fan]

Hr is not saying that Pant is no. 1 batsman in test. He is saying that, Pant is better than Labuschagne and Azam as he has already series winning contributions against tougher oppositions.
Common sense to understand.

Logic and common sense are words that don't exist in our little brother dictionary unfortunately.

 

[Ab Fan]

Babar has average of 65 in England and 48 against New Zealand how can you say he only performed at home?

Babar's highest score in England is 69 which means those stats are inflated by not outs.

Batting average is a wrong benchmark for any player that has not played even 10 tests in any given country. What matters is that we should be able to recall what exactly the player has done in that given country.

With Pant, I can easily say that he toured Australia twice and was successfully able to bully them as he beat them twice in that series with series winning performance from a situation where the game could go anywhere.

 

[Ab Fan]

You and BVB bhai are taking the trollers to the cleaners

Haha, your BVB Bhai has already been taker to cleaners now. Enjoy!

 

[Unbiased-Fan]

How is Quinton de kock in the same league as Babar your talking nonsense even Rohit isn't in the same league as babar.

How can de kock be considered part of the new fab 4 when he's already retired in tests.

Tell me why Rohit isn't in the same league as Babar???
Rohit has better stats and more match winning centuries than Babar. Since started opening, Rohit's ODI numbers are staggering, 4 T20I centuries, highest run scorer in T20Is, fastest t20I hundred.
Dekock recently retired from tests, but before that he made his mark on test cricket with his series winning contributions in Australia. Dekock has also scored a century in India

 

[Unbiased-Fan]

Only scores in flat Australian wickets matter these days. You shouldn't bring NZ into discussion because Pant had a very poor outing there.

Lol, and Babar averages Whopping 27 on those flat pitches with zero match winning contributions..
Talking about Babar's record in Newzealand, he failed in 3 out of 4 innings but single not out 50 inflated his average.

 

[Unbiased-Fan]

You and BVB bhai are taking the trollers to the cleaners

Your BVB bhai has nothing logical to say

 

[Waleed93]

[MENTION=155588]Unbiased-Fan[/MENTION]

You are trying too hard to put Babar down.

It would have been more interesting had you taken some names worthy of comparisons to the current best batsman in the world.

Pant being better than Babar.

You learn new things everyday on this forum.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

[MENTION=155588]Unbiased-Fan[/MENTION]

You are trying too hard to put Babar down.

It would have been more interesting had you taken some names worthy of comparisons to the current best batsman in the world.

Pant being better than Babar.

You learn new things everyday on this forum.

He calls himself Unbiased but always post biased comments here.

 

[Waleed93]

He calls himself Unbiased but always post biased comments here.

I have seen quite a few of his comments about Babar on this thread and another one as well, and he mostly repeats the same thing over and over again, without any real argument, just for the sake of downgrading a player.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

I have seen quite a few of his comments about Babar on this thread and another one as well, and he mostly repeats the same thing over and over again, without any real argument, just for the sake of downgrading a player.

Babar is going to improve his stats in Australia just like Kohli did in England. He is 27 and yet to reach his peek.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Lol, and Babar averages Whopping 27 on those flat pitches with zero match winning contributions..
Talking about Babar's record in Newzealand, he failed in 3 out of 4 innings but single not out 50 inflated his average.

Talking about Pant's performances in Australia, he was lucky that Australian fielders and wicketkeeper gave him multiple lives there, which in turn inflated his average in Australia.

 

[Moeey]

Talking about Pant's performances in Australia, he was lucky that Australian fielders and wicketkeeper gave him multiple lives there, which in turn inflated his average in Australia.

Aussie players ALSO HAD multiple lives like the great labuschagne who should have averaged 30 in all honesty. When you say luck, then mention the opponents too ok?

As for pant. He is mediocre. Tullebaaz tomato can.

 

[Moeey]

Babar is going to improve his stats in Australia just like Kohli did in England. He is 27 and yet to reach his peek.

Babar is the best batsman in the world from Pakistan yes. Best Asian batsman right now in loi. Not sure about world. Surely top 5

 

[MenInG]

Simon Doull on TV during the ongoing Eng v NZ 3rd Test:

"Not many could argue that Babar Azam is the best player in the world at the moment. As far as batting in that top order is concerned, he is unbelievable. Joe Root’s got an argument for that too. They talk about the big four, at the moment, he’s the big one"

<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/7f6o31" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Simon Doull on TV during the ongoing Eng v NZ 3rd Test:

"Not many could argue that Babar Azam is the best player in the world at the moment. As far as batting in that top order is concerned, he is unbelievable. Joe Root’s got an argument for that too. They talk about the big four, at the moment, he’s the big one"

<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/7f6o31" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>

That was straight from Simon Doull's heart. He is talking about Babar in a Eng vs NZ test.

I think he has dropped Kohli/Smith from his big 4. Many fans won't like that. Not too long ago fans were comparing Babar with KL Rahul but Babar is in a different league now.

 

[Ab Fan]

As all format batsman definitely, Babar is the best batsman among U-30 age. However, in test cricket, Pant is the best U-30 aged batsman. Pant is like Gilchrist while Babar is more like Clarke. If we go by averages, Clarke averages 5 more than Gilchrist and same is case with Babar too. But average is not the sole parameter because Pant has played 67% matches in SENA while Babar has played only 33%. Pant like Gilchrist has played several match winning knocks already and at higher strike rate too.

Tests- Pant
ODIs - Babar
T20s- Buttler