Babar is a role model. A controversy free, no nonsense guy that works on his game and improves year over year. Babar is what Kohli, Root, Smith and co were 2 to 3 years into international cricket. Kohli had Dhoni, Sachin. Williamson had McCullum, Root had Pietersen, Strauss etc to help them mould into the beasts they are. Who did/does Babar have? He could have been influenced by the Akmals which he didn't. Shahzad and Afridi were flashy and he could have gone their way, which he didn't. Instead he is trying to chart his own path and it's no coincidence that he's slowly getting onto another level under the father figure and his first real mentor Arthur.
It's easy to say they are soft runs or he's a minnow basher. One should complain if he doesn't score against minnows. Mickey has a role for him and that is to protect his wicket in the power play overs and be an anchor to the brittle batting order. He follows the instructions to the letter and lends a lot of solidarity to the line up. The slow SR at the beginning is not because of his inability to strike. It's to cut down on the risks to be able to play a long innings.
He knows he's the best batsman in the team and knows the records matter. There is a selfish streak in him that clamors for the tangible records like the 50s or 100s. Doesn't mean he doesn't care for the win. Just means that he knows the runs in the bank are important in Pakistan setup when his form deserts him. He's seen how UA was cast away.
So what's next for Babar? I'd say it's in the hands of Mickey Arthur. If Mickey wants Babar to be aggressive in the power play, Babar will. If Mickey wants his to bat at 4 in tests, he will. He's a coach's player and a team player. He had improved every year and this World cup will show how he is now a premier batsman in world cricket.
