Selfish batting of Babar Azam will not let him fulfill his potential

[Ryw]

did you watch his innings today, because that's far from the truth, majority of the innings he was between 115%-123% strike rate, it can went to 142% at the end due to the three 4s he hit-very last over - where they need 29 runs of last over,

he struggled today, hit too many singles, doesn't have the power to fuller deliveries, especially from slower balls.

im no barbar hater- but he should attacked far earlier when he faced 30odd balls - at that stage he made 37runs from 30balls- very poor, made 50 runs from 41balls.

poor innings from him

Yes!!! I watched the full game, thats how Babar plays, its the other muppets who couldnt do a jack with bat. You want Babar to play like Warner Rohit or Finch lol aint gonna happen. Cricket is a team game, other batsmen are being paid for the same job and they failed to do their job not even 20% effort on Scorecard

 

[shamaan]

This 91* by Babar was the most pointless big innings I have seen played in a long time. He really needs to sort out a plan in middle overs on slow pitches.

He should have won the game for them espically batting 20 overs even if the pitch didn't suit him.

 

[shamaan]

Babar Azam played according to what was required, the other useless batsmen botteled it. Very low level batsmen Karachi Kings picked this year lol

I am huge fan of Babar but he should take some criticism becouse he should definitely have won the game for due to batting 20 overs.

 

[shamaan]

Haqeeqat

Something Rizwan and Babar fans will never accept. The truth.

The shot Sharjeel played today was lazy just like his fitness.

 

[ChTab]

What's the point of that match-winner who even after playing the complete 20 overs couldn't win the game for his team.

He is a minnow basher & a stats paddler & his fans will always be happy just because of this.

 

[Concerned]

For those who watched the game, Babar strike rate was inflated due to hitting some boundaries in the final over. His strike rate at the end of the 18th over was 118 which is poor.

Babar is a anchor in T20 which at times will cost Pakistan.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Babar is a proper batsman and he bats like one. Any good Babar Azam innings is an innings of progression. Everytime he middles the ball he finds his groove a little bit more and then soon enough begins to find the boundary with greater frequency and relative ease. He doesn't go from zero to hundred and throw his wicket away because he's not a a dimwitted one-dimensional slogger. He is the golden goose who holds the innings together and finishes with close to 50% of the team score.

Its the job of the others like Sharjeel, Nabi, Imad, Yamin, Cockbain to play high-risk shots that are needed to keep the run rate in check.

In the final analysis it is their failure that cost Karachi the game today, not Babar's innings. If anything he should be commended for holding his cool and not throwing his wicket away when everyone around him seemed to be doing just that.

I mean the guy who finished the innings with a SR of 142 is the culprit, not the one who went for a golden duck or any of the other single digit heroes.

Some posters here have a really poor understanding of cricket.

 

[Savak]

Babar is a proper batsman and he bats like one. Any good Babar Azam innings is an innings of progression. Everytime he middles the ball he finds his groove a little bit more and then soon enough begins to find the boundary with greater frequency and relative ease. He doesn't go from zero to hundred and throw his wicket away because he's not a a dimwitted one-dimensional slogger. He is the golden goose who holds the innings together and finishes with close to 50% of the team score.

Its the job of the others like Sharjeel, Nabi, Imad, Yamin, Cockbain to play high-risk shots that are needed to keep the run rate in check.

In the final analysis it is their failure that cost Karachi the game today, not Babar's innings. If anything he should be commended for holding his cool and not throwing his wicket away when everyone around him seemed to be doing just that.

I mean the guy who finished the innings with a SR of 142 is the culprit, not the one who went for a golden duck or any of the other single digit heroes.

Some posters here have a really poor understanding of cricket.

This said, there is room for improvement in babars batting, he has to at times get out of his comfort zone and take charge via big hitting. Kohli developed his aspect of his batting gradually. Superstardom and commercial sponsorship comes when you lead your team to victory with bat in many high run chases

 

[Thanos]

People saying Babar scored at SR of 142 hasn't watched his inning yesterday. At the end of 18-19 overs his SR was between 118-125. Last 3 boundaries increased SR to 142 but KK had already lost the match by that time.

Babar is too good as an anchor but it's unfair that remaining batsmen have to play big shots from ball one while Babar takes 45-50 balls just to settle and score at SR of 120. He changes gears after his 50 but by the time he gets there, team already lost majority of overs.
And I am not talking about Sharjeel who throws his wicket usually but middle order batsmen should also get some time to settle which they don't get because one batsman has played 8-9 overs alone and is expecting remaining to do the hard work of hitting.
That's why more often he ends up being highest scorer of team at the end and people thinks it's the other batsmen who failed.

In T20 3-4 overs should be more than enough for a batsman to get settled and Babar should change gears after playing 3 overs. But he does that after playing 8-9 overs.

 

[shah_1]

Babar was at fault


He has been abysmal in the powerplay in the whole tournament which has always been his strength. He should understand that he is no chris Gayle.

The team needed 97 runs in the last 10 overs and Babar scored only 20 runs in 19 balls from 11th to 18th over. The whole phase cost the team badly. The match was already over when the team required 43 runs in two overs, Babar hit some pointless boundaries to boost his stat.

 

[jiduguravindra]

Babar is best bat for 150 to 160 kind of run chases. Once the target exceeds 170, the more he spends time in crease the more it costs the team..

 

[Afzal_K]

For god sake, the guy tried - what do u guys want..u know how many times Sachin felt short of chases, still it was acheivement

 

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

Babar is a proper batsman and he bats like one. Any good Babar Azam innings is an innings of progression. Everytime he middles the ball he finds his groove a little bit more and then soon enough begins to find the boundary with greater frequency and relative ease. He doesn't go from zero to hundred and throw his wicket away because he's not a a dimwitted one-dimensional slogger. He is the golden goose who holds the innings together and finishes with close to 50% of the team score.

Its the job of the others like Sharjeel, Nabi, Imad, Yamin, Cockbain to play high-risk shots that are needed to keep the run rate in check.

In the final analysis it is their failure that cost Karachi the game today, not Babar's innings. If anything he should be commended for holding his cool and not throwing his wicket away when everyone around him seemed to be doing just that.

I mean the guy who finished the innings with a SR of 142 is the culprit, not the one who went for a golden duck or any of the other single digit heroes.

Wrong. This is how people used to defend Misbah's 65* off 56 balls because the entire team got bowled out at 130.

In T20, it is better to lose by getting bowled out for 120 going for 180 than play steadily, scoring a 150 and losing.

Proper batsman definition in T20 is different from test matches. A proper batsman in T20, if he consumes 63 balls, is someone who scores 105-110, not 91, that too hitting out when the match is lost.

I'd argue Babar's innings against Australia set Pakistan back in the semi finals too - by about 15-20 runs.

Here is my template for a proper batsman like Babar coming up the order: Find the gaps in the first 6 overs, take risks and at the end of first 6, be definitely at 32 off 18 balls, not 26 off 20.

 

[Rajdeep]

Haqeeqat

Something Rizwan and Babar fans will never accept. The truth.

Dont mind me asking, but you seem to flaunt 152/0 in every thread as a badge of honour. Isnt Babar and Rizwan architect of that scoreline? If you are not their fans why you celebrate that achievement?

I doubt Sharjeel with his fitness would ever give you 152/0 kind of joy or bragging right. He couldnt even play the spin of Suresh Raina in 2016 at the Gardens and got out cheaply without troubling the scorer much.

Looks like your judgement of a good batsman is poor.

 

[ARK Rafay]

Dont mind me asking, but you seem to flaunt 152/0 in every thread as a badge of honour. Isnt Babar and Rizwan architect of that scoreline? If you are not their fans why you celebrate that achievement?

I doubt Sharjeel with his fitness would ever give you 152/0 kind of joy or bragging right. He couldnt even play the spin of Suresh Raina in 2016 at the Gardens and got out cheaply without troubling the scorer much.

Looks like your judgement of a good batsman is poor.

It's the easiest thing in the world to celebrate wins and bash loses.

 

[MenInG]

Inzi on Babar's recent performance:

“If you are the world’s number one cricket player and stands on wicket throughout 20 overs then you should be finishing the match otherwise get out without playing complete overs"

"The ability to finish matches has to be there as it is the first sign of being a great player"

 

[Moiz14]

Babar is class.. Always have been.. Its us who mix players and want stereotypes one 1 kind only.. He was never butter or Russel or sharjeel, and he never will be... He is a sort of player who oozes class and is damn consistent with 130 to 140 strike rate.. He'll score 8 out of 10 times.. Now its upto team owners and coaches to have right type of composition.. You just can't select a rubbish line-up like KK and ask babar to become maxwell or butter as he has his own game and limitations just like maxwels and butlers and russells have their own.. You can't expect consistency and class of babar from them... We judge too quickly and bring players up and down in a few matches.. We should never expect kohli or babar to become Russell or hit 6 sixes in an over.. Power hitting is and was never ever their strength and you cant have 11 Russell's or maxwells in team either as they'll disappoint you 70% and then you'll call them classless ugly looking hacks and beg for class and consistency of kohli and babar and root and williamson... Relax guys.. Dn compare oranges with apples

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

Babar need to work on his power hitting abilities, it's okay to start at 110 or 120 str rate in t20s but when you have played enough balls, you need to strike at 150+, that's what great t20 players do.
Secondly, he isn't a finisher, so no need to expect that from him.

 

[Rana]

Babar need to work on his power hitting abilities, it's okay to start at 110 or 120 str rate in t20s but when you have played enough balls, you need to strike at 150+, that's what great t20 players do.
Secondly, he isn't a finisher, so no need to expect that from him.

He’s been playing international cricket long enough to know this. Soon he will turn 30 and that’s when he will really have to be at the top of his game or he will continue to decline like Kohli did.

If he still hasn’t learned how to loft balls out of the ground playing for this long and right at the top of the order, Then will he ever?

A ruthless PCB would not consider him for T20s at all, instead we have this soft PCB since Misbah’s rise that rewards meek players with captaincy and authority!

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Wrong. This is how people used to defend Misbah's 65* off 56 balls because the entire team got bowled out at 130.

In T20, it is better to lose by getting bowled out for 120 going for 180 than play steadily, scoring a 150 and losing.

Proper batsman definition in T20 is different from test matches. A proper batsman in T20, if he consumes 63 balls, is someone who scores 105-110, not 91, that too hitting out when the match is lost.

I'd argue Babar's innings against Australia set Pakistan back in the semi finals too - by about 15-20 runs.

Here is my template for a proper batsman like Babar coming up the order: Find the gaps in the first 6 overs, take risks and at the end of first 6, be definitely at 32 off 18 balls, not 26 off 20.

Nah mate, you're wrong.

I guess you are more impressed with one-dimensional dimwitted sloggers.

Babar is not that. He is the best T20 batsman in the world. The numbers are right there for everyone to see. His strike-rate has been steadily rising for years. He messes up from time to time like any great player. He is not perfect. But his innings against Australia has nothing to do with his innings here which was a well-constructed and well-crafted knock that could have been a match-winning one had anyone else made any sort of contribution.

 

[Rana]

Wrong. This is how people used to defend Misbah's 65* off 56 balls because the entire team got bowled out at 130.

In T20, it is better to lose by getting bowled out for 120 going for 180 than play steadily, scoring a 150 and losing.

Proper batsman definition in T20 is different from test matches. A proper batsman in T20, if he consumes 63 balls, is someone who scores 105-110, not 91, that too hitting out when the match is lost.

I'd argue Babar's innings against Australia set Pakistan back in the semi finals too - by about 15-20 runs.

Here is my template for a proper batsman like Babar coming up the order: Find the gaps in the first 6 overs, take risks and at the end of first 6, be definitely at 32 off 18 balls, not 26 off 20.

This is absolutely correct

Babar and Rizwan’s batting approach is a continuation of the Misbah torture post 2012.

 

[Rana]

Nah mate, you're wrong.

I guess you are more impressed with one-dimensional dimwitted sloggers.

Babar is not that. He is the best T20 batsman in the world. The numbers are right there for everyone to see. His strike-rate has been steadily rising for years. He messes up from time to time like any great player. He is not perfect. But his innings against Australia has nothing to do with his innings here which was a well-constructed and well-crafted knock that could have been a match-winning one had anyone else made any sort of contribution.

He is the best T20 batsman in the world because he plays for himself. He can bat all day in white ball cricket and not get out. The 90* off 63 balls will only increase his rankings.

The rankings are not to be taken seriously because the Best batsmen hardly play regular T20i for their sides and they don’t play Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and West Indies regularly. Or the be teams of the better countries.

Babar is no.1 even though Pakistan doesn’t play India. So the rankings are flawed/Inaccurate.

If you had an option to pick Stirling or Babar as an opener, who would you pick? 99% of world cricket fans would pick Stirling.

 

[MenInG]

He is the best T20 batsman in the world because he plays for himself. He can bat all day in white ball cricket and not get out. The 90* off 63 balls will only increase his rankings.

The rankings are not to be taken seriously because the Best batsmen hardly play regular T20i for their sides and they don’t play Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and West Indies regularly. Or the be teams of the better countries.

Babar is no.1 even though Pakistan doesn’t play India. So the rankings are flawed/Inaccurate.

If you had an option to pick Stirling or Babar as an opener, who would you pick? 99% of world cricket fans would pick Stirling.

Think you are projecting your personal bias on others.

 

[Rana]

Think you are projecting your personal bias on others.

I might be exaggerating but I know I speak the truth. Even if you use the rankings to prove an argument,

Which one opener would you pick out of Babar, Rizwan and Stirling for T20s?

 

[PakEngFan]

I might be exaggerating but I know I speak the truth. Even if you use the rankings to prove an argument,

Which one opener would you pick out of Babar, Rizwan and Stirling for T20s?

Is this even a question off course Babar and rizwan. Unless you get Babar and Rizwan and we all know the answer. Get over it.

 

[MenInG]

I might be exaggerating but I know I speak the truth. Even if you use the rankings to prove an argument,

Which one opener would you pick out of Babar, Rizwan and Stirling for T20s?

Hales and Stirling gone in this current game - great short innings but what was the point?

 

[Rana]

Hales and Stirling gone in this current game - great short innings but what was the point?

Part and parcel. They blasted QG out of the game the other day. The guy called Corridor of uncertainty is right, they are approaching T20 cricket in the right way as openers. You’d rather try and get 200 and fail then not try at all and get 160

 

[MenInG]

Part and parcel. They blasted QG out of the game the other day. The guy called Corridor of uncertainty is right, they are approaching T20 cricket in the right way as openers. You’d rather try and get 200 and fail then not try at all and get 160

That is percentage cricket. You hit 3 sixes to please people and your team comes under pressure. No use.

 

[silentkiller187]

That is percentage cricket. You hit 3 sixes to please people and your team comes under pressure. No use.

It works 1 in 10 games and clueless fans start doing bhangra and saying I told you so, people are quick to forget the countless innings last year babar and rizwan played to set us up for victory or take us to victory. I agree babar more so than rizwan plays a different t game, his natural game which is a bit slower than is required for this format, but the fact is currently we got no master blasters, sharjeel ain't the answer, fakhar has been tried there before and has failed , rizzy babar partnership is paks most successful opening partnership in t20s , in future we can move babar down it will solidify the batting g line up even more, but some here saying ba ar can't bat outside powerplay and he can't open so does that mean he gets dropped , we ain't even got a solid 5 or 6 batsmen in the team and still the best 2 get criticised.

 

[Moiz14]

Babar is class.. Always have been.. Its us who mix players and want stereotypes one 1 kind only.. He was never butter or Russel or sharjeel, and he never will be... He is a sort of player who oozes class and is damn consistent with 130 to 140 strike rate.. He'll score 8 out of 10 times.. Now its upto team owners and coaches to have right type of composition.. You just can't select a rubbish line-up like KK and ask babar to become maxwell or butter as he has his own game and limitations just like maxwels and butlers and russells have their own.. You can't expect consistency and class of babar from them... We judge too quickly and bring players up and down in a few matches.. We should never expect kohli or babar to become Russell or hit 6 sixes in an over.. Power hitting is and was never ever their strength and you cant have 11 Russell's or maxwells in team either as they'll disappoint you 70% and then you'll call them classless ugly looking hacks and beg for class and consistency of kohli and babar and root and williamson... Relax guys.. Dn compare oranges with apples

 

[finalfantasy7]

Yes!!! I watched the full game, thats how Babar plays, its the other muppets who couldnt do a jack with bat. You want Babar to play like Warner Rohit or Finch lol aint gonna happen. Cricket is a team game, other batsmen are being paid for the same job and they failed to do their job not even 20% effort on Scorecard

i didnt say he should bat like those you mentioned - but she should have had theintent earlier on his innings to make it easier for his team mates - he didnt kept his strike rate most around the 117% mark-far too slow.
You said his other team mates havent done 20% off babar effort - sharjeel played way better overall- just one match he failed in not 3 like barbar, it was barbar fault

 

[finalfantasy7]

@Rye, shadab khan made more runs than barbar in this psl

 

[Rana]

It works 1 in 10 games and clueless fans start doing bhangra and saying I told you so, people are quick to forget the countless innings last year babar and rizwan played to set us up for victory or take us to victory. I agree babar more so than rizwan plays a different t game, his natural game which is a bit slower than is required for this format, but the fact is currently we got no master blasters, sharjeel ain't the answer, fakhar has been tried there before and has failed , rizzy babar partnership is paks most successful opening partnership in t20s , in future we can move babar down it will solidify the batting g line up even more, but some here saying ba ar can't bat outside powerplay and he can't open so does that mean he gets dropped , we ain't even got a solid 5 or 6 batsmen in the team and still the best 2 get criticised.

It doesn’t work once in 10 games. This isn’t Afridi and Imran Nazir with batting averages of 20 we are taking about.

The best, gun T20 openers produce scores more often than not. Prove that they don’t or stop making up things

 

[Rana]

@Rye, shadab khan made more runs than barbar in this psl

Shadab woukd make more runs than Babar and Rizwan batting at 4 99/100 times.

Those two are too scared to take responsibility at that position, that’s why they hide at the top and play themselves in

 

[silentkiller187]

It doesn’t work once in 10 games. This isn’t Afridi and Imran Nazir with batting averages of 20 we are taking about.

The best, gun T20 openers produce scores more often than not. Prove that they don’t or stop making up things

What's sharjeels t20i average then, the same person you keep advocating to takeover babar or rizwan. He is exactly in the category of nadir and afridi and exactly the type we need to move away from

 

[Rana]

What's sharjeels t20i average then, the same person you keep advocating to takeover babar or rizwan. He is exactly in the category of nadir and afridi and exactly the type we need to move away from

Just goes to show how you view cricket if you think Sharjeel is in the same category of Nazir and Afridi. Clearly you are clueless

Fakhar and Sharjeel are not in the same mould of openers Afridi and Nazir

 

[silentkiller187]

Just goes to show how you view cricket if you think Sharjeel is in the same category of Nazir and Afridi. Clearly you are clueless

Fakhar and Sharjeel are not in the same mould of openers Afridi and Nazir

You mentioned 20 average and nazir and afridi yet sharjeel has an average of 22 and I'm clueless your right they ain't in the same category, sharjeel is a fat fixer atleast the other 2 gave us some entertainment

And for what it's worth I rate fakhar very highly so no need to pair him with sharjeel

 

[Rana]

You mentioned 20 average and nazir and afridi yet sharjeel has an average of 22 and I'm clueless your right they ain't in the same category, sharjeel is a fat fixer atleast the other 2 gave us some entertainment

And for what it's worth I rate fakhar very highly so no need to pair him with sharjeel

Sharjeel Khan and Jason Roy both average 25 with a strike rate of 140 in domestic T20s. What do you have to say about that?

 

[silentkiller187]

Sharjeel Khan and Jason Roy both average 25 with a strike rate of 140 in domestic T20s. What do you have to say about that?

I would say like I've said before sharjeel ceiling is franchise crickey, Jason roy averages 30 with a sr of 144 in t20 world cups what's sharjeels comparison? , Roy and sharjeel shouldn't be mentioned in the same sentence at the moment.

Just to summarise rather than go around in circles on a thread that's about babar, maybe about time fakhar and him swapped around

 

[Markhor]

Let's cut to the chase. Babar Azam is the golden boy Pakistani cricketer of this generation and the only all-format Pakistani batsman of the last decade whose name is taken with the world's best. He's judged to higher standards than most.

That combined with his aesthetically pleasing style of batting I feel has blinded some to the real flaws in Babar the T20 batsman (and to an extent in Tests - no doubting his class in ODIs). The question isn't whether we should chuck Babar out of the T20 side, but maximising his utility to the team.

Babar's not a bludgeoner but a brilliant touch player and there's nobody else I'd want for situations where steady accumulation and minimal risk is required, e.g. the India chase in the T20 World Cup or when 150-160 is par.
However on truer surfaces where 190-200+ is par, Babar's limitations as a powerhitter are exposed. Two examples come to mind:

1) The 2nd T20 vs England in Manchester in 2020. Babar scores 56 off 44 helping us to 195. Seems a decent knock in the scorebooks - except his SR of 127 that day was the lowest amongst all batsmen facing 20 balls. England chased it with ease.

2) The Semi Final vs Australia. Babar scores 39 off 34. His 114 SR was the lowest amongst the top order batsmen, except Aaron Finch who went first ball. Again we're found 20-30 runs short on a good batting surface.

I read Babar's SR in the PowerPlay in T20Is since the start of 2020 is 109. That's poor by anyone's standards. Therefore to argue he should bat at 3 instead of opening isn't unreasonable.

However as Mohammad Rizwan (a weak boundary-hitter in his first international run) has shown, you can learn powerhitting techniques from golf and baseball, and develop release shots like his legside flick. By all accounts Babar is very self-critical so I'm sure if anyone has the capacity to improve it's him.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

He doesnt seem to want to improve though. For him the PSL is meaningless, hes always going to be in the Pakistan side no matter what he does.

So why not go for broke, start slogging, play ramp shots and get creative. Use it to develop himself rather than keep recreating this flawed tactic of batting deep and hoping someone else hits.

he shouldnt have been not out in the last match and should have really teed off 4 overs before the final over. If he got out then so be it, him staying in wasn't going to win the game anyway.

 

[Kroll]

Yep, Babar is taking the slow and steady wins the race approach, but in a format like T20 it's not going to work in the long run. Playing to buff up your stats does not reflect well on him.

 

[finalfantasy7]

people have to remember t20i bowlers are getting hit for 7.5-8.5 runs a over, which is a strike rate of 135% minimun.

he and every other pakistani batsman has to achieve this in order for us to reach 170+runs

 

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

My bigger point above was: Babar has to develop new things in his T20 batting if he wants his team to win in all situation, not just some situations.

He is the man.

 

[Waleed93]

Shadab woukd make more runs than Babar and Rizwan batting at 4 99/100 times.

Those two are too scared to take responsibility at that position, that’s why they hide at the top and play themselves in

This is some next level delusion, cluelessness, and blatant hate towards 2 players who would outclass your proven fixing hack at any position.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

This is some next level delusion, cluelessness, and blatant hate towards 2 players who would outclass your proven fixing hack at any position.

He could be right about babar. Maybe not about Rizwan who looks like he is developing a power game.

I have been disappointed with Babar's PSL so far. Hopefully he leads from the front today rather than carrying his bat and hoping Sharjaal and Cobain fire.

We need bravery from Babar in franchise cricket.

 

[Waleed93]

He could be right about babar. Maybe not about Rizwan who looks like he is developing a power game.

I have been disappointed with Babar's PSL so far. Hopefully he leads from the front today rather than carrying his bat and hoping Sharjaal and Cobain fire.

We need bravery from Babar in franchise cricket.

Criticising Babar for his supposed "weak" power-hitting is one thing and it's debatable.

Calling Shadab a better number 4 batsman than him is blatant hypocrisy and hate, nothing else.

Yes, Babar has not been at his best in this PSL so far, even if his "out of form" season outclasses majority of T20 hacks having their best phases.

However, he has shown in previous PSL editions that he is more than capable of winning games on his batting alone, and what we are witnessing now is nothing more than an unusual dip in form.

He may or may not score runs today, but if he does and the rest falls like a pack of cards like the other day, the blame should also go to them.

Babar being a level above the rest and having higher standards doesn't mean the rest should get a free pass every game they lose for Karachi.

 

[shah_1]

Let's cut to the chase. Babar Azam is the golden boy Pakistani cricketer of this generation and the only all-format Pakistani batsman of the last decade whose name is taken with the world's best. He's judged to higher standards than most.

That combined with his aesthetically pleasing style of batting I feel has blinded some to the real flaws in Babar the T20 batsman (and to an extent in Tests - no doubting his class in ODIs). The question isn't whether we should chuck Babar out of the T20 side, but maximising his utility to the team.

Babar's not a bludgeoner but a brilliant touch player and there's nobody else I'd want for situations where steady accumulation and minimal risk is required, e.g. the India chase in the T20 World Cup or when 150-160 is par.
However on truer surfaces where 190-200+ is par, Babar's limitations as a powerhitter are exposed. Two examples come to mind:

1) The 2nd T20 vs England in Manchester in 2020. Babar scores 56 off 44 helping us to 195. Seems a decent knock in the scorebooks - except his SR of 127 that day was the lowest amongst all batsmen facing 20 balls. England chased it with ease.

2) The Semi Final vs Australia. Babar scores 39 off 34. His 114 SR was the lowest amongst the top order batsmen, except Aaron Finch who went first ball. Again we're found 20-30 runs short on a good batting surface.

I read Babar's SR in the PowerPlay in T20Is since the start of 2020 is 109. That's poor by anyone's standards. Therefore to argue he should bat at 3 instead of opening isn't unreasonable.

However as Mohammad Rizwan (a weak boundary-hitter in his first international run) has shown, you can learn powerhitting techniques from golf and baseball, and develop release shots like his legside flick. By all accounts Babar is very self-critical so I'm sure if anyone has the capacity to improve it's him.

Great post

Babar can not bat like this in Pakistan anymore where we have Muhammad Nawaz at 8. Use the batting depth to play fearless batting. I’m afraid there is a lot of competition coming for him in this format if he doesn’t work on his SR.

 

[MenInG]

Shoaib Akhtar speaking on YouTube:

"The criticism on Babar over not finishing matches is right and he has been struggling with this for years. Give him time, he will learn as he is a great player and far better than Rizwan"

"Rizwan scores 40-ball 80 and keeps the scoreboard ticking. Babar needs to learn this and there's no need to get disheartened over this, you will soon get there. Criticism is always good and you will become a mega-brand in years to come"

 

[shamaan]

Haqeeqat

Something Rizwan and Babar fans will never accept. The truth.

So are you saying Rizwan is fast scoring since they did reasonably well in world cup.

 

[shamaan]

He could be right about babar. Maybe not about Rizwan who looks like he is developing a power game.

I have been disappointed with Babar's PSL so far. Hopefully he leads from the front today rather than carrying his bat and hoping Sharjaal and Cobain fire.

We need bravery from Babar in franchise cricket.

He's saying his best for Australia

 

[shamaan]

Babar is saving his best for international cricket.

 

[Markhor]

And today exemplifies exactly what we are talking about.

I cannot understand peoples' defensiveness over Babar's batting approach in T20s.

It would be one thing if he only batted like this to carry a weak Karachi Kings team - but this is how he bats for Pakistan too. Again, his SR in the Powerplay in T20Is since Jan 2020 is 109 - unacceptable by any standard !

Fact is people would bury Misbah for these sorts of innings.

 

[moghul]

Babar showed no interest in winning the match, it was like Misbah's inning in 2011 SF.
He was using this as a practice game for Australia series.

 

[Bewal Express]

And today exemplifies exactly what we are talking about.

I cannot understand peoples' defensiveness over Babar's batting approach in T20s.

It would be one thing if he only batted like this to carry a weak Karachi Kings team - but this is how he bats for Pakistan too. Again, his SR in the Powerplay in T20Is since Jan 2020 is 109 - unacceptable by any standard !

Fact is people would bury Misbah for these sorts of innings.

Todays batting effectiveness is for the Karachi Franchise to decide but for PK he has done well. So people are conflating 2 different things- his lack of intent and form for Karachi and his batting for PK. For PK he hasnt been brilliant but he certainly been good and has won games. For him to improve he needs to get in the gym and get more creative when the ball isnt in his arc.

 

[shamaan]

This performances is beyond shocking but he's proberly trying to get into form for when he's on international duty.

 

[Moiz14]

Misbah is absolutely right.. Yes Misbah himself was very very slow but atleast he had an excuse that whenever I come, pak is 30/3 or 50/4 so I have to play so... But this today's innings can't have any excuse.. The man came opener and took the RR to almost 20 and got out..Intent was not there even when no wicket was falling... Poor poor shameful attitude by babar... Shame on you... I wish he knows how much tarnish this innings has done to his image not only in pak but Internationally... He didnt even gave the chance to sahi ziada, yamin, cockbain, imad, nabi and qasim to even try for the win as he single handedly blocked the innings along with Joe without losing wicket.. I guess he just lost all senses... This timid person can't be our captain.. Loser

 

[sweep_shot]

Babar is a textbook/classic cricket batsman. His batting is suitable for Test and ODI.

A junk format like T20 probably doesn't suit him. It can damage his batting.

 

[Walawalkar]

Babar is a textbook/classic cricket batsman. His batting is suitable for Test and ODI.

A junk format like T20 probably doesn't suit him. It can damage his batting.

So T20 becomes junk format because Babar not good at it

 

[shamaan]

So T20 becomes junk format because Babar not good at it

Ask Michael holding what he thinks of t20s.

 

[PakEngFan]

So T20 becomes junk format because Babar not good at it

T20 is a junk format. Sloggers are made to look good batsmens.

 

[Saj]

I wonder if Babar has thought about moving down to number three in the order and maybe open with Sharjeel and someone else at PSL7, perhaps even Qasim or Imad.

They needed something different in the first 6 overs but they've changed nothing.

 

[Cover Drive Six]

Babar would have played 10 overs for losing cause.

Now KK plying well.

 

[shah_1]

KK playing well without Babae

 

[shamaan]

Babar would have played 10 overs for losing cause.

Now KK plying well.

Babar was timing the ball quite well in this Innings and got off to a good start.

 

[Shazzam]

What really bothers me is that he is starting to look like Misbah 2.0 of twenty20. People should want to see him batting due to the class of a batsmen he is. Unfortunately he is not playing to his true potential

 

[Cric1234]

Babar needs to move down the order a better lineup for the world T20 would be:

Rizwan
Umar
Fakhar
Babar

Babar can put his experience to use in the middle order and play around the lower order hitters quick starts are required otherwise no chance of winning the world T20.

 

[PerfectionPersonified]

I wonder if Babar has thought about moving down to number three in the order and maybe open with Sharjeel and someone else at PSL7, perhaps even Qasim or Imad.

They needed something different in the first 6 overs but they've changed nothing.

I think Sharjeel has been a pure FAILURE, Babar is playing like what he does.

Needed outside the box thinking

 

[Mobashir]

Such a selfish player that he gave his man of the match to someone else.

I think it's the first time it's happening?

 

[Mamoon]

Such a selfish player that he gave his man of the match to someone else.

I think it's the first time it's happening?

Gambhir gave his man of the match award to Kohli against Sri Lanka in 2009, it was his Kohli’s first ODI hundred and Gambhir scored 150 in that game as well.

I’m sure there are other instances as well.

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Anybody who still believes that Babar Azam only bats for himself and only scores runs in easy situations needs to watch that century against Sri Lanka today <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SLvPAK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SLvPAK</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/SajSadiqCricket/status/1548626495798710272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 17, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Saj]

That innings today against Sri Lanka was a different level.

Mature, responsible, read the situation so well and carried the team.

The guy just gets better and better.

 

[Blistering Barnacle]

That innings today against Sri Lanka was a different level.

Mature, responsible, read the situation so well and carried the team.

The guy just gets better and better.

Babar is moving on to the next level.

He's going from strength to strength.

Inspiration to his team and to Pakistanis overall. Good on him.

 

[pillionrider]

Just saw the scorecard earlier today. Seems like an amazing effort. Must catch highlights at least.

 

[Haseebster]

Gambhir gave his man of the match award to Kohli against Sri Lanka in 2009, it was his Kohli’s first ODI hundred and Gambhir scored 150 in that game as well.

I’m sure there are other instances as well.

How does the fact there have been other instances of a player awarding their trophy to another player negate the fact that Babar's act was selfless? Unless the standard for selflessness is something that's never been done before, which is ridiculous to say the least.

 

[Xoib]

Babar Azam's lack of hunger in Test cricket

Just 7 hundreds in 42 tests conversion 50/100 of 1/4 and its not a surprise he is struggling to reach the coveted 50 average.

His past 2 dismissals have been very casual batting and if he does not become more ruthless in test cricket I could see him ending as a 45 averaging batsman which will be a disappointing return for a guy of his talent.

 

[Ashmal]

I guess some people expect Babar to score a 100 every inngs

 

[Amjid Javed]

I guess some people expect Babar to score a 100 every inngs

Hes the star batsmen, he should be scoring hundreds 1 every 3 or 4 tests, thats what elite players do.

 

[adzzy786]

Just 7 hundreds in 42 tests conversion 50/100 of 1/4 and its not a surprise he is struggling to reach the coveted 50 average.

His past 2 dismissals have been very casual batting and if he does not become more ruthless in test cricket I could see him ending as a 45 averaging batsman which will be a disappointing return for a guy of his talent.

This is stupid, since Barbars rise he has not played many Test matches. Secondly when Pakistan themselves don’t play much test matches and the most they play usually are 2 test match series with the odd one being a 3 test match series. He needs more games to score more runs! He doesn’t get enough games!!!!

 

[PakPremi]

I swear Babar just scored two 50+ scores in the two innings before this one, and they lead to Pakistan winning the match in tough condition and tough situation. Some Pakistani posters just need any excuse to jump on players, whilst the rest of the world is marvelling over his achievements.