Is Babar Azam the most over-hyped cricketer in Pakistan's history?

[Fahdi]

Dear lord the way people are complaining. I get that he is overrated a lot I honestly do but the way he is being attacked is absurd. He has been our most valuable batsman for an year almost. He has held this team together, he fails in one series and the rest of the lineup looks like headless chickens. He is no Kohli and Root, closer to Williamson and Amla(Yes not as good yet but closer to these guys) but some are whining as if he has barred the access of Tendulker and Lara. When was the last time a Pakistani batsman made it to the ODI team of the year? The last time he toured New Zealand he averaged 72 at a SR of 92 and scored more than any New Zealand batsman.

 

[Rayyman]

Dear lord the way people are complaining. I get that he is overrated a lot I honestly do but the way he is being attacked is absurd. He has been our most valuable batsman for an year almost. He has held this team together, he fails in one series and the rest of the lineup looks like headless chickens. He is no Kohli and Root, closer to Williamson and Amla(Yes not as good yet but closer to these guys) but some are whining as if he has barred the access of Tendulker and Lara. When was the last time a Pakistani batsman made it to the ODI team of the year? The last time he toured New Zealand he averaged 72 at a SR of 92 and scored more than any New Zealand batsman.

People just have their own agendas. Unfortunately their ignorance blinds them from the truth.

 

[Madplayer]

Its laughable to suggest he only scores against WI and SL. Yes he has been absolutely pathetic in this series,think he averages 5 or something. That doesnt mean he hasnt scored in NZ against NZ before. He was Pakistan's best batsman on their last tour to NZ. I think its just bad form and good bowling.

 

[Fahdi]

Babar's record is pretty average if you get rid of SL and WI.

still averages 38 at 84 which is very good actually not mediocre(not exceptional either) and that is immediately after his worst ever series, the 5 matches will obviously have a big impact out of 27 matches.

I understand he was made out to be the next Kohli by some people(which was and will always be ridiculous) but don't downplay his performance as if he has been Asad Shafiq.

 

[BlueDoritos]

One bad series and all people just started jumping up and down.

After every series defeat people need a scapegoat, but he wasn't the only one who failed.

 

[Aman]

Its laughable to suggest he only scores against WI and SL. Yes he has been absolutely pathetic in this series,think he averages 5 or something. That doesnt mean he hasnt scored in NZ against NZ before. He was Pakistan's best batsman on their last tour to NZ. I think its just bad form and good bowling.

Dude, 6 of his 7 100s came against those two teams, you know the grief Kohli and Rohit get for bashing SL.

1 century in 27 innings excluding them and 6 from 13 innings between just those two countries.

That's significant and more than fair to bring up, you wouldn't hear the end of it if an Indian batsmen had the same stats.

 

[Rayyman]

Dude, 6 of his 7 100s came against those two teams, you know the grief Kohli and Rohit get for bashing SL.

1 century in 27 innings excluding them and 6 from 13 innings between just those two countries.

That's significant and more than fair to bring up, you wouldn't hear the end of it if an Indian batsmen had the same stats.

Tbh Kohli at 24 was nothing but an SL basher.

 

[Aman]

Tbh Kohli at 24 was nothing but an SL basher.

Back then SL weren't certified minnows.

 

[Joseph Gomes]

Tbh Kohli at 24 was nothing but an SL basher.

Kohli bashed peak Malinga which was a huge deal back in 2012, it was all over the news. This is not the same as Babar bashing minnow Lanka now

 

[Madplayer]

Dude, 6 of his 7 100s came against those two teams, you know the grief Kohli and Rohit get for bashing SL.

1 century in 27 innings excluding them and 6 from 13 innings between just those two countries.

That's significant and more than fair to bring up, you wouldn't hear the end of it if an Indian batsmen had the same stats.

First of all I am talking as per Pakistani standards.

Secondly 100s are not the only measure of whether the batsman is scoring or not.

Babar has 50s in NZ and Australia and did decently well in CT in some pressure situations against top teams. He hasnt even played many games against AUS , Eng and SA. Failed against NZ on one tour and was the best batsman from either side during the other.

You can only play against teams who are put in front of you. He cant tour SA ENG and Australia on his own unless matches are scheduled.

 

[Aman]

First of all I am talking as per Pakistani standards.

Secondly 100s are not the only measure of whether the batsman is scoring or not.

Babar has 50s in NZ and Australia and did decently well in CT in some pressure situations against top teams. He hasnt even played many games against AUS , Eng and SA. Failed against NZ on one tour and was the best batsman from either side during the other.

You can only play against teams who are put in front of you. He cant tour SA ENG and Australia on his own unless matches are scheduled.

50s are nothing in ODIs today, there are sloggers and bowlers that can score those. Someone in his position should score 100s, he's someone who takes his time and takes minimal risks.

 

[Madplayer]

50s are nothing in ODIs today, there are sloggers and bowlers that can score those. Someone in his position should score 100s, he's someone who takes his time and takes minimal risks.

He is doing it against lesser teams. With more experience he will do it against better teams too. He is 23 and only 2 years old in international cricket.

My problem is with his lack of intent. That worries me.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Has been seriously exposed in this series and has a lot to work on with his game, cant just score soft and easy runs against teams like SL and W.I needs to score against decent sides as well.

 

[in_cutter]

FTB. But the most overrated cricketer is prob Umar DeVilliers Akmal

 

[mhraja]

Babar Azam has only been in double figure twice in 6 attempts in NZ and that too marginally. However the call of dropping him are immature, he can do well against good oppositions like he showed against Australia and there are some other middle order batsmen who needs the boot ahead of him.

 

[AssassinatedDevil]

People need to relax. He is still one of our best batsmen and has the numbers to prove it. Give the kid some room to breathe. He's barely 23 and has been given the most pivotal and important place in the batting order. He has scored the bulk of his runs against weaker oppositions but if scoring runs against SL and West Indies was so easy then the rest of the team would have averages of 40-50 as well. The guy has shown his class in the NZ test in 2016 when he made 90 odd when the ball was swinging miles. He scored an ODI 100 in Aus as well so people shouldnt forget that. Besides, his cousin Umar Akmal is the most overhyped athlete of all time, however i dont think he would classify as an athlete, so lets just stay most overhyped cricketer of all time.

 

[asma_cricfan]

This title goes to only umar akmal. The most overhyped failure. I hope babar gain his form back.

 

[Syed1]

I made this thread based on his exploits in test cricket, but it seems he is doing the same in ODIs now as well.


Bobby can't wait for the next tour of SL/WI.

 

[Usman Chadda]

Another Ahmed Shehzad in the making. This one fooled us for a little longer though

Babar struggled with the pace and bounce. Even an armchair critic would see that clearly. Ahmed Shehzad is just useless.

 

[GrandMaster]

Same can be said about UA?

This title goes to only umar akmal. The most overhyped failure. I hope babar gain his form back.

 

[Azeem Zafar]

Babar Azam failed & failed miserbly vs NZ, one of the major reasons we are whitewashed alongwith Malik & Amir's abysmal performances. But it doesn't mean that all is over for him, he has all the time in world to work upon his weaknesses and come back as a stronger player. There'll be hardly any point in dropping him as he'll not get fixed at all in domestics or NCA.

What baffles me the most is his nature of dismissals, they were all so similar. His feet gets jammed at crease and he pokes at the 4th,5th stump length ball to nick it. He was a walking wicket throughout the series & It wasn't the first time he got worked up like that, Hazlewood did the same & got him many times in the last tour. I wonder what Grant Flower is doing to resolve this issue, he is our best OD batsman & cannot afford to see his becoming anther Umar Akmal. Blame lies with him too, that intent to improve & recitfy your issues, that fire in the belly that drives you to become the best in the world is all but missing from Babar Azam.

 

[MenInG]

This needs to be looked into

PCB cannot let him slipaway

he needs coaching and specialist help

 

[shokz1408]

Over hyped and over rated.. his overall average is largely due to minnow bashing. How can a player be selected for 5 odis straight with highest score of 10?! That's clear favouritism.

Clearly he isn't a very good player if in foreign conditions he gets 5 chances and can't score more than 10. We need to select multidimensional players, and not one trick ponys.

 

[troodon]

Babar is still your best batsman just like Amir is still your best bowler.

Babar needs to put on some muscle, improve fitness and stamina. At the moment he looks a bit too soft and lacks the strength and stamina to hit big and play long innings without gassing out. Success will come to him eventually. He is talented.

 

[babajee]

Over hyped and over rated.. his overall average is largely due to minnow bashing. How can a player be selected for 5 odis straight with highest score of 10?! That's clear favouritism.

Clearly he isn't a very good player if in foreign conditions he gets 5 chances and can't score more than 10. We need to select multidimensional players, and not one trick ponys.

So why did he do so well in Aus/NZ last time?

 

[troodon]

Over hyped and over rated.. his overall average is largely due to minnow bashing. How can a player be selected for 5 odis straight with highest score of 10?! That's clear favouritism.

Clearly he isn't a very good player if in foreign conditions he gets 5 chances and can't score more than 10. We need to select multidimensional players, and not one trick ponys.

His team mates did not even bash the minnows.

 

[waleed88]

So why did he do so well in Aus/NZ last time?

He was harmless in Aus... scored an 80 odd at a snails pace, then scored a 100 which was more personal glory than any help to us chasing the total

 

[waleed88]

Like Kohli said, my 150 doesn't matter much if the team doesn't win

 

[sshakir411]

Timid character. I wonder why the same people pushing to not lose hope in Babar have totally opposite views on Sarfraz?

 

[babajee]

He was harmless in Aus... scored an 80 odd at a snails pace, then scored a 100 which was more personal glory than any help to us chasing the total

Not his fault the rest were duds. Babar and Sharjeel were our only batsmen on that tour.

 

[waleed88]

Not his fault the rest were duds. Babar and Sharjeel were our only batsmen on that tour.

Well when the RR is 10 an over before 25 overs, you can't do much. Unless ofcourse you wanna reach a personal milestone

 

[Pete Rose]

Not his fault the rest were duds. Babar and Sharjeel were our only batsmen on that tour.

both were good on that tour. only one of them was trying to win the matches, though.

 

[Abdul]

I made this thread based on his exploits in test cricket, but it seems he is doing the same in ODIs now as well.


Bobby can't wait for the next tour of SL/WI in UAE.

Ftfy.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

both were good on that tour. only one of them was trying to win the matches, though.

Kind of unrealistic to expect a 22 year old to chase 370 down on his first tour there against arguably the best attack going around. Even Kohli has trouble accelerating against complete attacks, forget a beginner like Babar. Yeah, he could've batted more positively and scored a run a ball fifty to please the fans despite everyone knowing we had no chance. Babar taking us deep into the game actually gave us whatever little chance we had of someone playing a blistering cameo to finish the chase, which was also never going to happen.

For people complaining about Babar's run rate. Have a look at our output when he doesn't score big. Sure, Babar can start playing with more intent but then expect his average to drop down to 40. Then people will start picking at his inconsistency. It's unrealistic to expect a 23 year old to average 50+ at 95.

Developing a world class batsman is a long process. The current world class batsmen during their development had other class batsmen in their team to rely on and cushion them. Babar doesn't have that luxury. He's been given a very difficult task of batting at 3 on a team prone to collapses with unreliability all around. In Sharjeel, he'd found a partner who could take a bit of that load off him. They had very good chemistry together which is why losing Sharjeel was such a big blow.

Now, in Haris, he's found a reliable partner and we're slowly developing a nice lower order. This gives him cushion and he can afford to bat with a bit more risk. I expect Babar and Haris to develop an effective partnership going forward.

There are some technical issues that he has to sort to get on top of the bounce on frontfoot play on bouncier pitches hindering him from playing shots from the get-go whereas these would be easy drives on Pakistani paced pitches. Currently, he has to get a feel for the bounce before he can start opening up because his low backlift and lack of a complete forward torso press make him go through the shot while the ball is on the rise.

He's not fully equipped at the moment to rely on technique and instinct alone away from home hence the slow starts.

 

[shokz1408]

So why did he do so well in Aus/NZ last time?

Well clearly he has regressed then. If he has performed in UAE recently, and come to NZ and played 5 odis straight with a highest score of 10, then currently he's just not that good, and clearly has problems adjusting to playing in new Zealand again.

 

[Pete Rose]

Kind of unrealistic to expect a 22 year old to chase 370 down on his first tour there against arguably the best attack going around. Even Kohli has trouble accelerating against complete attacks, forget a beginner like Babar. Yeah, he could've batted more positively and scored a run a ball fifty to please the fans despite everyone knowing we had no chance. Babar taking us deep into the game actually gave us whatever little chance we had of someone playing a blistering cameo to finish the chase, which was also never going to happen.

For people complaining about Babar's run rate. Have a look at our output when he doesn't score big. Sure, Babar can start playing with more intent but then expect his average to drop down to 40. Then people will start picking at his inconsistency. It's unrealistic to expect a 23 year old to average 50+ at 95.

Developing a world class batsman is a long process. The current world class batsmen during their development had other class batsmen in their team to rely on and cushion them. Babar doesn't have that luxury. He's been given a very difficult task of batting at 3 on a team prone to collapses with unreliability all around. In Sharjeel, he'd found a partner who could take a bit of that load off him. They had very good chemistry together which is why losing Sharjeel was such a big blow.

Now, in Haris, he's found a reliable partner and we're slowly developing a nice lower order. This gives him cushion and he can afford to bat with a bit more risk. I expect Babar and Haris to develop an effective partnership going forward.

There are some technical issues that he has to sort to get on top of the bounce on frontfoot play on bouncier pitches hindering him from playing shots from the get-go whereas these would be easy drives on Pakistani paced pitches. Currently, he has to get a feel for the bounce before he can start opening up because his low backlift and lack of a complete forward torso press make him go through the shot while the ball is on the rise.

He's not fully equipped at the moment to rely on technique and instinct alone away from home hence the slow starts.

The only time we were in any of those games was when sharjeel was at crease because the team runrate was higher than the required Runrate. He has his issues to sort out but sharjeel was the bigger loss.

 

[Pete Rose]

Well clearly he has regressed then. If he has performed in UAE recently, and come to NZ and played 5 odis straight with a highest score of 10, then currently he's just not that good, and clearly has problems adjusting to playing in new Zealand again.

Umar Akmal did well on his first tour of NZ but regressed spectacularly. It’s not unusual o

 

[kingusama92]

Poor Sachin Tendulkar sitting on the bench being held back by Babar Azam.

 

[Pete Rose]

Poor Sachin Tendulkar sitting on the bench being held back by Babar Azam.

criticizing rubbish performance is not the same ask for him to be benching.

 

[kingusama92]

criticizing rubbish performance is not the same ask for him to be benching.

Babar has been criticized from day one.

When he was piling up 100s, the critics stated he doesn't play fast enough and is selfish. And of course, the criticism after this series will only strengthen.

Therefore, I think it's time to bring Sachin into the team.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

The only time we were in any of those games was when sharjeel was at crease because the team runrate was higher than the required Runrate. He has his issues to sort out but sharjeel was the bigger loss.

I don't disagree. I fully understand how valuable Sharjeel was.

 

[Pete Rose]

Babar has been criticized from day one.

When he was piling up 100s, the critics stated he doesn't play fast enough and is selfish. And of course, the criticism after this series will only strengthen.

Therefore, I think it's time to bring Sachin into the team.

ok. let not criticize him. prayers and waiting and comparing him to other players at same stage in career will magically transform him.

 

[MeanAndGreen]

Kind of unrealistic to expect a 22 year old to chase 370 down on his first tour there against arguably the best attack going around. Even Kohli has trouble accelerating against complete attacks, forget a beginner like Babar. Yeah, he could've batted more positively and scored a run a ball fifty to please the fans despite everyone knowing we had no chance. Babar taking us deep into the game actually gave us whatever little chance we had of someone playing a blistering cameo to finish the chase, which was also never going to happen.

For people complaining about Babar's run rate. Have a look at our output when he doesn't score big. Sure, Babar can start playing with more intent but then expect his average to drop down to 40. Then people will start picking at his inconsistency. It's unrealistic to expect a 23 year old to average 50+ at 95.

Developing a world class batsman is a long process. The current world class batsmen during their development had other class batsmen in their team to rely on and cushion them. Babar doesn't have that luxury. He's been given a very difficult task of batting at 3 on a team prone to collapses with unreliability all around. In Sharjeel, he'd found a partner who could take a bit of that load off him. They had very good chemistry together which is why losing Sharjeel was such a big blow.

Now, in Haris, he's found a reliable partner and we're slowly developing a nice lower order. This gives him cushion and he can afford to bat with a bit more risk. I expect Babar and Haris to develop an effective partnership going forward.

There are some technical issues that he has to sort to get on top of the bounce on frontfoot play on bouncier pitches hindering him from playing shots from the get-go whereas these would be easy drives on Pakistani paced pitches. Currently, he has to get a feel for the bounce before he can start opening up because his low backlift and lack of a complete forward torso press make him go through the shot while the ball is on the rise.

He's not fully equipped at the moment to rely on technique and instinct alone away from home hence the slow starts.

Quality post.

Does it alarm you that those technical issues still haven't been sorted? I remember him having the same issues in NZL 2015/16 against Boult coming around the wicket. He's simply too vulnerable at the moment early in his innings.

 

[dauntless]

He is overhyped to an extent.I don't see him as much of problem as other guys like azhar hafeez shoaib and sarfraz.He will come good though he should have scored a hundred in this series.

 

[kingusama92]

ok. let not criticize him. prayers and waiting and comparing him to other players at same stage in career will magically transform him.

And that's the point I'm making.

Babar will never "transform" because critics will find faults regardless. Until he averages 60+ with a SR of 130+ away from the UAE (not against SL/WI btw) while chasing in ICC tournaments, no one is going to be happy. And of course all of this needs to happen by the age of 23.

In reality, all developing batsmen have ups and downs. It's a part of the process.

If his issues persist at 25-26 then it warrants a serious look. Until then it's best to have faith in his potential and ensure a good batting coach continues to work with him on the finer details of ODI cricket. The only reason this isn't allowed to happen is because the "seniors" are rubbish and don't insulate the younger batsmen. Instead, batsmen like Babar, Haris, Imam, Fakhar, and even Sharjeel have had to shoulder the brunt of the work/pressure from day one.

Calling a batsman overhyped or exposed while he develops is a slap in the face of development. It's the reason PAK has never had much of a batting culture.

People will rather have an Afridi smash 100 off 37 because of the instant gratification that comes along with it. Developing young batsmen is a grind and getting too high on their successes or too low on their failures is what leads to disappointment.

Unfortunately, most criticism for Babar has come drenched in impatience.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Quality post.

Does it alarm you that those technical issues still haven't been sorted? I remember him having the same issues in NZL 2015/16 against Boult coming around the wicket. He's simply too vulnerable at the moment early in his innings.

No, it doesn't. He's been playing with that backlift his whole career so they'd be wary of changing it because it could throw his game off. However, now it's imperative that he has to even his game suffers for the short term.

 

[Bilal7]

He's 23/24 and this has more to do with a loss of form rather than any technical issues. He'll get back to scoring heavily soon enough.

A future ATG ODI batsman.

 

[Pete Rose]

And that's the point I'm making.

Babar will never "transform" because critics will find faults regardless. Until he averages 60+ with a SR of 130+ away from the UAE (not against SL/WI btw) while chasing in ICC tournaments, no one is going to be happy. And of course all of this needs to happen by the age of 23.

In reality, all developing batsmen have ups and downs. It's a part of the process.

If his issues persist at 25-26 then it warrants a serious look. Until then it's best to have faith in his potential and ensure a good batting coach continues to work with him on the finer details of ODI cricket. The only reason this isn't allowed to happen is because the "seniors" are rubbish and don't insulate the younger batsmen. Instead, batsmen like Babar, Haris, Imam, Fakhar, and even Sharjeel have had to shoulder the brunt of the work/pressure from day one.

Calling a batsman overhyped or exposed while he develops is a slap in the face of development. It's the reason PAK has never had much of a batting culture.

People will rather have an Afridi smash 100 off 37 because of the instant gratification that comes along with it. Developing young batsmen is a grind and getting too high on their successes or too low on their failures is what leads to disappointment.

Unfortunately, most criticism for Babar has come drenched in impatience.

should call the game as one sees it. he struggled massively, and there's a lingering suspicion that he has a glass chin. there's nothing to defend or prosecute. for him to sort it out. I feel no need to give him the courtsey of time, since I am not really predicting which way he will go.

 

[Pete Rose]

He's 23/24 and this has more to do with a loss of form rather than any technical issues. He'll get back to scoring heavily soon enough.

A future ATG ODI batsman.

can you please give me your comprehensive list of superlatives:
future ATG?
potential ATG?
potential future ATG?
Future Pak ATG?
Potential Pak ATG?

Have i missed anything?

 

[Bilal7]

can you please give me your comprehensive list of superlatives:
future ATG?
potential ATG?
potential future ATG?
Future Pak ATG?
Potential Pak ATG?

Have i missed anything?

I've only ever called him a future ATG. There is nothing like a Pak ATG.

 

[kingusama92]

should call the game as one sees it. he struggled massively, and there's a lingering suspicion that he has a glass chin. there's nothing to defend or prosecute. for him to sort it out. I feel no need to give him the courtsey of time, since I am not really predicting which way he will go.

Like I said, it's the culture of instant gratification.

Same reason fans could barely list 5-6 batsmen for Pakistan's all-time ODI squad.

 

[Syed1]

He's 23/24 and this has more to do with a loss of form rather than any technical issues. He'll get back to scoring heavily soon enough.

A future ATG ODI batsman.

Like I mentioned earlier this thread was made for his exploits in test cricket when he was resembling Chris Martin in the test series against Lanka.


He is not over-hyped in ODIs per-se, adequately hyped lol BUT that doesn't absolve him of criticism and some posters are getting their knickers in a twist because as per them golden boy cannot be criticized for averaging 6 and SR of 40 in the NZ series.


There is some validity to the point that Babar relishes playing against SL/WI which might explain his 6 centuries against them and 1 against the rest of the teams.

 

[light]

It's unfair to criticize him so much. He is still early in his carreer. Not like he is a old guy, guy is still under 25, lots of time for him to figure out his problem. He has lots of talent going for him, just needs to train hard and capitilize on those talents. But, if he lets fame get through his head, then that would be a perfect reason to criticize him.

 

[Abid Z]

All our batting is rubbish in odi and tests. Babar is no different but deserves a bit more slack

 

[Kroll]

It's unfair to criticize him so much. He is still early in his carreer. Not like he is a old guy, guy is still under 25, lots of time for him to figure out his problem. He has lots of talent going for him, just needs to train hard and capitilize on those talents. But, if he lets fame get through his head, then that would be a perfect reason to criticize him.

Sure, but the worrying thing is I didn't see any fight in him. There didn't appear to be any hunger or desire to stand up for the team when they needed him the most.

 

[Bilal7]

Like I mentioned earlier this thread was made for his exploits in test cricket when he was resembling Chris Martin in the test series against Lanka.


He is not over-hyped in ODIs per-se, adequately hyped lol BUT that doesn't absolve him of criticism and some posters are getting their knickers in a twist because as per them golden boy cannot be criticized for averaging 6 and SR of 40 in the NZ series.


There is some validity to the point that Babar relishes playing against SL/WI which might explain his 6 centuries against them and 1 against the rest of the teams.

I have no problems with your opinions, I respect them. I'm not interested in Babar's test game at the moment, he'll need more time to figure that out. However, he is a superstar in ODI cricket and one of the best batsmen in the world. He had an awful series but that does not make him an awful player, everyone suffers through such lows now and then.

He definitely prefers West Indies and Sri Lanka but then again, who doesn't? Amla and ABD have also bullied these teams regularly and Kohli fills his boots, socks, gloves and hat everytime he plays Lanka. Babar doing the same thing does not warrant criticism, instead it should invite praise. Especially since he's several years younger than any of these legends.

Of course, you can't become an ATG simply by scoring against the West Indies and Sri Lanka, however he has at least another dozen years of international cricket left to score against the bigger teams, God willing.

In tests, if he can average around 45, batting at #3, it will be great for Pakistan. The likes of Haris Sohail, Sami Aslam and younger guys like Salahuddin have a higher ceiling in the longest format.

 

[Hamstead_joy]

When Imam complained of swollen finger for excuse not to play against New Zealand, mobilizing uncle Inzi to draft Umar Amin really wished Babar somehow gets rested because his continuation would definitely expose the chinks in his technique and further weaken his case to stay in the team. This is a very bad tour for him.
There is a reason he did not do well in the Test series its his 5th, 6th stump game where a debutant West Indian like Alzarri Joseph would make a career of bowling him outswing and Babar phishing outside off would be making more careers in the slip cordon.
In UAE spinners like Herath would frustrate and easily set him up for an easy dismissal.
One should check the change of his mindset by watching the previous tour. Apart from him being found out he has become more selfish and negative eating up more dots, the kind of player he is. He can rotate strike on all four sides which he does'nt placing more pressure on himself and the partner
One feels bad for him,
but you feel bad for Pakistan more where no other player is given chance or being groomed.

Batting coach Grant Flower is a total disappointment, the inability of players like him getting out on a bit of bounce reflects some poor staff work.

 

[OmarKhan99]

Dude, 6 of his 7 100s came against those two teams, you know the grief Kohli and Rohit get for bashing SL.

1 century in 27 innings excluding them and 6 from 13 innings between just those two countries.

That's significant and more than fair to bring up, you wouldn't hear the end of it if an Indian batsmen had the same stats.

It's not about the hundreds. Until October 2016 he was struggling to convert. Why do you conveniently forget all his 50s? It's quite sad that we have a 23-year-old prodigy on our hands and he's been breaking records left, right and center and just because of one poor series (quite some precarious dismissals as well) and we have started to think of him as a hack. I can't believe we don't have the judgment in our eyes anymore. Just one look at him and you can tell his class.

 

[HappyWarsFan]

Absolutely..he scores soft runs and poor defense technique. Decent player,. nothing else.

 

[PakLFC]

No he is not! We hype everyone as being the next great thing only to end up with egg on our face! I would say Amir is the most hyped since I have been watching the game. We were also raving about Umar Akmal as well, remember him?

 

[Gullycricket]

Didn't expect this thread from Syed1.

 

[Chrish]

His two fifties in SA were magnificent..

 

[mastersaan10]

Well he turned out to be of some substance. Masood and babar had a good tour of South africa. We had other hyped up players who did nothing, amir , Shoib Masood, are some that come on the top of my mind.

 

[Darkrai]

Have to give credit to Mickey for believing in him even when he was totally hopeless in test cricket. Babar is the one player who has benefited from Mickey. The amount of support and confidence he got from Mickey, i don't think even any Pakistani could have helped him in the same way.

 

[ABMiller]

He is not over hyped, he is the genuine talent, probably he will end up with top 5 Pakistan batsman of all time.
Only issue is, he may be handed the captaincy post the world cup especially if Pakistan loses it badly. He needs to make sure that captaincy does not affect him.
So far in his career he was playing in the team as a youngster. Post the world cup, definitely he needs to step up and start scoring atleast two hundreds in a overseas tour. That will define his legacy. Pretty 60s and 70s won't do him or his team any favour.

 

[Ab Fan]

He is a great talent and it has been a while since such talent has come from Pakistan, which is why he is over hyped.

What he is doing is fine but fans hype him like he is one of the best batsmen in the world is a bit too much.

Against top six opponents, he has got only two hundreds combining all formats, which is nowhere near to be considered one of the best in the world.

Unless he starts hitting hundreds consistently and takes his test average over 45, we can't call him one of the best batsmen in the world, let alone the best in the world.

 

[Sunny_majoka]

Absolutely..he scores soft runs and poor defense technique. Decent player,. nothing else.

Any other lagend waiting in the hut to replace him?

 

[Sunny_majoka]

He is a great talent and it has been a while since such talent has come from Pakistan, which is why he is over hyped.

What he is doing is fine but fans hype him like he is one of the best batsmen in the world is a bit too much.

Against top six opponents, he has got only two hundreds combining all formats, which is nowhere near to be considered one of the best in the world.

Unless he starts hitting hundreds consistently and takes his test average over 45, we can't call him one of the best batsmen in the world, let alone the best in the world.

He is only 24.. He will fulfill your all wishes. Just have some patience

 

[JibranAnsari]

No its Mohammad Amir comfortably

 

[light]

Jeez guys, as an outsider we all know Babar is the best thing that is going on for PAK cricket ATM. What is with all these negative thread about this lad? He is doing fine as of now. Give it couple more years, he's going to be part of fab 5.

 

[Abdullah]

[MENTION=135196]waleed88[/MENTION].
What's ur progress report for the boy Babar.
Things looked promising after his NZ odi blip and he came on in the test arena

 

[saeedhk]

He’s performed well on this SA tour. Credit where its due.
Talking about overhyping a player? Every Pakistani player is overhyped. Remember when people compared Falhar with Warner and Rohit?

 

[Shandarchowka]

No. Umar Akmal was. And boy what a disappointment he turned out to be...

 

[Pakhs]

Babar Azam is currently Pakistan best batsman by a stretch. He will be at his peak in two years time when he will be around 26 that was the case with Kholi as well.

 

[happydavy]

Babar is on his way to become a great player for Pakistan, so no he's not overhyped.

 

[Madplayer]

[MENTION=135196]waleed88[/MENTION].
What's ur progress report for the boy Babar.
Things looked promising after his NZ odi blip and he came on in the test arena

Since the SA tour began, Waleed88 has gone missing on Babar threads.

 

[big_gamer007]

Babar is the next big thing to come out of Pakistan since Asif.. So it took 15 years to produce another such talent..

 

[ManFan]

He has an average of 50+ and 7 centuries in 38 matches. I’ll give you credit if he fails for another year.

Well...

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Must improve his game against spin but the Steyn Slayer is one of the few who's actually living upto any hype.

 

[Billa86]

The world cup in England will prove if Babar has the mental strength to be a world class batsmen but in general his game has improved alot although he has tendency to give away his wicket when the team needs him to finish off the game.