Is Babar Azam the Sachin Tendulkar of Pakistan?

[BouncerGuy]

Never saw fans leave stadium in India once Sachin got out !

Why would they leave... they were happy because he is done statpadding...???

 

[NishanKonar]

Why would they leave... they were happy because he is done statpadding...???

Sachin wud start statpadding after reaching 85-90. He generally slowed down in 90s to get to his hundred

Babar statpads right from the beginning

 

[sithb]

I take it you have not seen matches in the 90s.

People routinely switched their tv off when Sachin got out because any chance of India winning depended on Sachin making a substantial score.

It was only with the emergence of Ganguly Dravid and Laxman and the other batsmen that followed like Sehwag etc that made people change.

 

[sithb]

Sachin wud start statpadding after reaching 85-90. He generally slowed down in 90s to get to his hundred

Babar statpads right from the beginning

There was an element of Sachin trying to ensure that he got his hundred. That did hurt india a bit. But I tend to think that it was his mindset that he could cut loose later and make up for the deliveries that he wasted before.

It's not the attitude of cricketers now where every ball counts. Also teams knew this and started bowling to fields which were designed to not give him an easy release shot knowing that he was very reluctant to go lofted at that time.

It's not statpadding. It was a weakness inbred into Mumbai cricketers who have had it inbred to them from generations that if you get a start , come what may , make a hundred.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Babar's popularity in Pakistan is definitely far ahead of Sachin's fan craze in India

Never saw fans leave stadium in India once Sachin got out !

Pakistan fans particularly pathans used to leave when Afridi got out too.

 

[sithb]

Pakistan fans particularly pathans used to leave when Afridi got out too.

Which was basically 96% of the time ?

 

[Smbhayi]

Pakistan fans particularly pathans used to leave when Afridi got out too.

Happened that in India too when Pak faced SA in India for champions trophy while chasing.. Pak lost 4-5 wickets for cheap then Afridi came, hit couple of sixes then gone and stadium became almost empty..

 

[Smbhayi]

Which was basically 96% of the time ?

Not really, happens when Pak was looking for heavy loss..

 

[sithb]

A lot of Pakistan's problems with batting has to do with them being in the extremes with respect to Afridi.

In no other country would an Afridi be afforded a near 20 year career.

 

[NishanKonar]

There was an element of Sachin trying to ensure that he got his hundred. That did hurt india a bit. But I tend to think that it was his mindset that he could cut loose later and make up for the deliveries that he wasted before.

It's not the attitude of cricketers now where every ball counts. Also teams knew this and started bowling to fields which were designed to not give him an easy release shot knowing that he was very reluctant to go lofted at that time.

It's not statpadding. It was a weakness inbred into Mumbai cricketers who have had it inbred to them from generations that if you get a start , come what may , make a hundred.

Naah. Sachin belonged to an era where personal records mattered more

Post 2000 generation was different. Sehwag Yuvraj Dhoni Raina rarely bothered abt personal milestones. Sehwag hitting a 6 to reach his triple century was perfect example of this. Rohit & Kohli followed in that direction as well

 

[NishanKonar]

I take it you have not seen matches in the 90s.

People routinely switched their tv off when Sachin got out because any chance of India winning depended on Sachin making a substantial score.

It was only with the emergence of Ganguly Dravid and Laxman and the other batsmen that followed like Sehwag etc that made people change.

Switching of tv is anectodal. No way to confirm

But never saw spectators go home after Sachin got out. This literally never happened

 

[Asif321]

This is so funny . Babar wouldn’t survive Wasim , akhtar or McGrath

 

[charlie007]

I don't think OP meant to compare Babar and Sachin stat wise, but more along the lines of how Sachin in the 90's before Dravid and Ganguly came in was the backbone of the batting lineup in the ODIs and the team depended on him very heavily to take them across the line. He's asking if Babar must feel the same pressure.

 

[Rana]

In no other country would an Afridi be afforded a near 20 year career

This is not true

Afridi was very highly rated by England cricket in general. They loved him as a player. In fact, he would have been a far better player for England than he was for Pakistan. They would encourage his natural aggression at number 6-7. They have always appreciated natural flair talents for white ball cricket.

I think Afridi would have been a great player in Australia too.

He was definitely going to play long in South Africa given their poor spin bowling resources.

There is no doubt that Shahid Afridi would get into any Indian team of his era as a number 6-7-8 too for a prolonged career.

 

[NishanKonar]

This is not true

Afridi was very highly rated by England cricket in general. They loved him as a player. In fact, he would have been a far better player for England than he was for Pakistan. They would encourage his natural aggression at number 6-7. They have always appreciated natural flair talents for white ball cricket.

I think Afridi would have been a great player in Australia too.

He was definitely going to play long in South Africa given their poor spin bowling resources.

There is no doubt that Shahid Afridi would get into any Indian team of his era as a number 6-7-8 too for a prolonged career.

Its not abt ability. Its the inconsistency & careless attitude. No way Australia or England or India wud have tolerated it beyond a point. These countries go by hard data & results not vibes. Pakistan cricket gives a lot more leeway

 

[charlie007]

This is not true

Afridi was very highly rated by England cricket in general. They loved him as a player. In fact, he would have been a far better player for England than he was for Pakistan. They would encourage his natural aggression at number 6-7. They have always appreciated natural flair talents for white ball cricket.

I think Afridi would have been a great player in Australia too.

He was definitely going to play long in South Africa given their poor spin bowling resources.

There is no doubt that Shahid Afridi would get into any Indian team of his era as a number 6-7-8 too for a prolonged career.

I am confident Afridi would have definitely become a better batsman than he was for Pakistan if he played for India - they would give him the ultimatum that if he wanted to be in the team he would need to become more responsible with the bat, AND provided him the coaching and support to become that.

 

[Rana]

Its not abt ability. Its the inconsistency & careless attitude. No way Australia or England or India wud have tolerated it beyond a point. These countries go by hard data & results not vibes. Pakistan cricket gives a lot more leeway

You think they would, for specialist batsmen they might do so

Not for a decent leggie who has unreal power hitting ability.

They would ensure the leggie version of Afridi is a mainstay.

Trust me I know how these gorey think. They are very much about professionalism but they do not believe in curtailing the natural flair of a player. It’s not something you can teach, you are either born with it or you are not. Afridi was born with it.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Its not abt ability. Its the inconsistency & careless attitude. No way Australia or England or India wud have tolerated it beyond a point. These countries go by hard data & results not vibes. Pakistan cricket gives a lot more leeway

I think any LOI team in history if given the choice would have selected a bowling allrounder in history.

We have been quite harsh on him because of his brainfades, but as a bowler alone, he would get picked over most LOI spinners, add in the batting and its a no brainer.

 

[NishanKonar]

I think any LOI team in history if given the choice would have selected a bowling allrounder in history.

We have been quite harsh on him because of his brainfades, but as a bowler alone, he would get picked over most LOI spinners, add in the batting and its a no brainer.

LIke I said - most countries value discipline , work ethic & responsiblity more than stuff like talent & natural flair. India also moved on to this path post 2000 thanks to John Wright

Process & culture beats talent any day. Pakistan will actually become a better cricketing once they realise this

 

[NishanKonar]

You think they would, for specialist batsmen they might do so

Not for a decent leggie who has unreal power hitting ability.

They would ensure the leggie version of Afridi is a mainstay.

Trust me I know how these gorey think. They are very much about professionalism but they do not believe in curtailing the natural flair of a player. It’s not something you can teach, you are either born with it or you are not. Afridi was born with it.

Gorey people love hyping up oriental stuff like talent & natural flair to keep browns happy but in real life they believe in hardnosed professionalism

This is why SENA will never fall as low as West Indies or Sri Lanka or Pakistan - coz their work ethic & professionalism will never let them fall below a certain threshold

 

[Rana]

Gorey people love hyping up oriental stuff like talent & natural flair to keep browns happy but in real life they believe in hardnosed professionalism

This is why SENA will never fall as low as West Indies or Sri Lanka or Pakistan - coz their work ethic & professionalism will never let them fall below a certain threshold

Who’s a better all-rounder+ cricketer overall in white ball cricket…

Shahid Afridi or Moeen Ali?

 

[NishanKonar]

Who’s a better all-rounder+ cricketer overall in white ball cricket…

Shahid Afridi or Moeen Ali?

I wud select Moeen Ali if I was selector. Bcoz better returns & consistency.

Shahid Afridi had better stats bcoz he played 20 years. If Moeen played for Pakistan for 20 years - he wud have better stats than Afridi (Moeen was better version of Hafeez & he lasted 20 years as well).

 

[BreadPakoda]

This is so funny . Babar wouldn’t survive Wasim , akhtar or McGrath

Imagine Babar vs. Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh.

 

[sithb]

I think any LOI team in history if given the choice would have selected a bowling allrounder in history.

We have been quite harsh on him because of his brainfades, but as a bowler alone, he would get picked over most LOI spinners, add in the batting and its a no brainer.

Averages 35.51 in bowling average and 23.57 in batting average over his entire career. Now tell me which team will select

 

[hassan918]

He is not far behind when it comes to fan following within the country but it is always not ideal to compare players of two different eras. Babar is one of the best ODI and Test batters in recent times worldwide but his position national side for the T20 cricket is questionable.

 

[themens]

Babar not even the greatest batsman Pakistan has ever produced, comparing him to Miandad, Younis, Inzi, Yousuf is a joke let alone Tendulkar.

 

[Sachin fan]

He is not far behind when it comes to fan following within the country but it is always not ideal to compare players of two different eras. Babar is one of the best ODI and Test batters in recent times worldwide but his position national side for the T20 cricket is questionable.

You have no idea of the kind of fan following Sachin had. The entire roads would be empty when he played. The daily labourers (who are paid by the hour) would stop working to watch him bat. There would be people praying in temples. Not even Kohli or dhoni matched the fan following Sachin had at his peak.

Sachin was unique in having crazy fan following among the poorest of poor, those who generally don't have time and energy for sports, at one point more people knew him (according to surveys) than the prime minister of the country.

And Sachin not only had fan following in india but all over the world and even among peers.

This delusion that Babar's fan following is close to Sachin's is very similar to the delusion that his talent is close to Sachin. Both are just a fantasy and not reality.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Obviously not equal to sachin... 100 crore vs 20 crore population is a huge difference...

Babar gets out and the crowd vanishes is something not many have achieved from Pakistan... His fan following is definitely bigger than almost 99% players... I think Afridi matches him here...

In terms of cricket, there is a huge gap tbh...

 

[Sachin fan]

Obviously not equal to sachin... 100 crore vs 20 crore population is a huge difference...

Babar gets out and the crowd vanishes is something not many have achieved from Pakistan... His fan following is definitely bigger than almost 99% players... I think Afridi matches him here...

In terms of cricket, there is a huge gap tbh...

Sachin's fan following went way beyond stadiums. Kohli and dhoni and others also had the 120+ crores population but none of them had the same effect.

People praying in temples or stopping work cannot be compared to crowds emptying in a cricket stadium

I will believe Babar's fan following is comparable to Sachin's the day when poor people leave their livelihood to watch Babar or donate to mosques and go without food in the name of Babar.

 

[NishanKonar]

Sachin's fan following went way beyond stadiums. Kohli and dhoni and others also had the 120+ crores population but none of them had the same effect.

People praying in temples or stopping work cannot be compared to crowds emptying in a cricket stadium

I will believe Babar's fan following is comparable to Sachin's the day when poor people leave their livelihood to watch Babar or donate to mosques and go without food in the name of Babar.

Naah nowhere close. Never saw crowds leaving stadium after Sachin got out

Babar's fanbase is more like a cult following

ps : Not saying this is good. Cultish fan behaviour is bad for the sport

 

[NishanKonar]

Also Sachin's fandom was a bit performative. Someone started this God of cricket & everyone started mimicing it.

People forget Sachin once got booed by Mumbai crowd after a failure. He faced lot of scrutiny over a tax evasion case. He also faced heat during the Greg Chappel saga & was roundly criticised after 2007 WC exit. Often faced questions on his " selfish " attitude. Also faced heat over his non performance in Parliament

Of course he was very popular but his fans exxagerate his level of fandom

 

[Sachin fan]

Naah nowhere close. Never saw crowds leaving stadium after Sachin got out

Babar's fanbase is more like a cult following

ps : Not saying this is good. Cultish fan behaviour is bad for the sport

Lmao, crowd left after Sachin got out all the time. What on earth are you talking about. Fans left when he got out in ranji trophy to his very last test match in wankhede and a million times in between.

Once again you guys have no idea about the kind of fan following Sachin actually had in india and all over the world and are just pulling stuff out from the air.

 

[NishanKonar]

Lmao, crowd left after Sachin got out all the time. What on earth are you talking about. Fans left when he got out in ranji trophy to his very last test match in wankhede and a million times in between.

Once again you guys have no idea about the kind of fan following Sachin actually had in india and all over the world and are just pulling stuff out from the air.

Bro I actually live in India. Watched Sachin live in stadiums. This God of Cricket was actually overdone by the media. Also hyped by that crazy guy painted in tricolors who turned up at every stadium where Sachin played

Sachin was definitely popular. Very likeable guy. But not cultish. More like popular Bollywood star but not like South Indian movie star craze

Frankly I m happy we dont have this kind of cultish fan behaviour ( except for Dhoni at CSK )

 

[adi_62941]

Just came to know that Shai Hope of West Indies also have similar ODI records as of Babar Azam and maybe many people will not know him