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Joe Root vs Babar Azam in ODIs?

Ab Fan

Senior Test Player
Joined
Sep 24, 2015
Runs
28,007
Who is the better Odi batsmen?

Root- 103 matches 4297 runs AVG 51 @SR 86

Babar- 41 matches 1789 runs AVG 51 @SR 84

For those who bring Age in every Azam thread:

Babar- 23
Root- 27

While it can be argued that Root is the third best odi batsmen of his era, Babar is nowhere in the scenes.

Discuss!
 
Root has actually performed against credible teams, unlike WI/SL bully.

Capture.JPG
 
While it can be argued that Root is the third best odi batsmen of his era, Babar is nowhere in the scenes.

Discuss!

Babar isn't in the scenes because he hasn't played as much matches as batsmen like kohli, root etc. If he can maintain such numbers till around a 100 ODIs then i'm sure alot more people will rate him highly.
 
I love Babar but these comparisons are just all hypothetical, Babar just doesn't have the sample size yet and all his achievements are nothing that Root or Williamson couldn't muster, while the former two definitely have done enough to set a high target for Babar to reach. He has the talent to reach their level, but comparing as is doesn't help anyone and serves no purpose.
 
Poor thread. No point for such debate. Does nothing at all and if you're gonna compare players make sure they're peers not one player who is young and another in his prime.
 
Babar isn't in the scenes because he hasn't played as much matches as batsmen like kohli, root etc. <B>If</B> he can maintain such numbers till around a 100 ODIs then i'm sure alot more people will rate him highly.

A big iffff tbf..
 
Poor thread. No point for such debate. Does nothing at all and if you're gonna compare players make sure they're peers not one player who is young and another in his prime.

Many posters follow ICC rankings and were claiming that Azam is the third best odi batsmen only behind Kohli and de Villiers and will surpass Kohli till he retires. I don't understand the basis on which these claims are made.
 
Many posters follow ICC rankings and were claiming that Azam is the third best odi batsmen only behind Kohli and de Villiers and will surpass Kohli till he retires. I don't understand the basis on which these claims are made.

It's clear that Root is ahead of Babar. I'm sure many know that and there is no point in making a thread if the consensus is the same among most posters. There will be like 1/20 guys saying Babar is better.
 
Why cant Babar be compared with people who have played similar number of matches?
 
Root. Quite a pointless thread. Root is an established batsman in a settled team. Babar has been at it for what 2 years now?

Ability wise the 2 are comparable but I doubt Babar will reach the level for which he has the ability. Pakistani batsmen rarely do.
 
Root is an established cricketer. Babar has a long long way to go even though he has shown a fair deal of promise but mostly against weaker oppositions.

Root is a quality player. Averaging 50+ in ODIs and Tests is no joke.
 
He can definitely surpass him. Root hasn’t been able to bash minnows the way Babar has.
 
When Babar was scoring runs : " Look at the guy. At this age he is better than Kohli , Root etc. "

When Babar stop scoring : " This is such an unfair comparison. Those are established names and he is just starting"
 
When Babar was scoring runs : " Look at the guy. At this age he is better than Kohli , Root etc. "

When Babar stop scoring : " This is such an unfair comparison. Those are established names and he is just starting"

Outch ... well summed up brother :ashwin
 
I am really not sure where Babar would end up eventually. For Kohli, even as back in 2012 I knew that he would be an ATG easily and possibly GoAT batsman in ODIs. However Kohli was bashing peak Malinga and Johnson in 2012-13 which made him famous globally. Whereas Babar has performed mostly against Lanka and WI so far none of whom have any half decent bowler now.
 
Current Stats as of 17th July 2018

Joe Root - 115 Matches - 4700 Runs - 50.00 Avg - 86.90 SR
Babar Azam - 43 Matches - 1848 Runs - 51.33 Avg - 84.26 SR
 
These comparisons are getting ridiculous now but if I had to choose one at the current moment, it has to be Root.
 
How is this even a comparison?

One is a World class batsman, and the other is just the 2nd(after Fakhar) most important batsman in his team.

There is a vast difference between the experience of both, and it's injustice for Babar to be compared with Root.

Atm Babar and Rahul seems to be a fair comparison.
 
Root has been really poor against Aussies.

He was horribly out of form until the last India match. 10 of those 18 matches against Aus came in last 7 months. He average 40+ against all other test playing nations which is very impressive.
 
Root is much better at this moment in time. Root is a very dynamic batsman but just like Babar, very key to his team. Both are anchor batsman but Root is quite far ahead due to number of matches and other batting aspects.
 
Considering that Azam is about to turn 24 in few months, that's Root's stats at the same age (they have a 4 years difference) :

joeroot.png
 
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