"Someday, I am looking at a triple century" : Babar Azam

[Captain caveman]

As I said Misbah was no savior but still had a few great innings. He also cemented his place in the team after “peak years” so that may have been a factor towards his bad performances overseas. Though he had a memorable tour of NZ in 2011. Scored 231 runs and was the highest scorer from both sides. His scores read 62, DNB, 99 and 70*. I think was the first series win as captain as well. Other than his century at Lords he wasn’t too bad in the Eng tour and had a couple of 50s I think.

His 161 was match saving effort and pure class in 2007 series against India in India. I think he had another century as well in the same series.

Babar is no where near where we want him to be or dare I say where he will be. He needs to keep his head down and keep learning. As of today Shafiq and Shan both can claim the second spot but Abid Ali has already started leaping towards that. I still hope Harris Sohail has something left in him and can serve us another 3-4 years. Seem unlikely though. BTW aren’t you impressed by Rizwan and put him on second? He is been churning a lot of runs in recent years at domestic and never know he maybe the next big thing. He also has age on his side.

2007, i was not contracting then, so had a 9 to 5 and did not see much of that series. Is it the one were younis scored 260 and 177 odd?
Shafiq is definetly the second best batsman right now but i think abid ali can be equally as good.
Rizwan is an upgrade on safi and batted with spirit, but gives a lot of chances away.
Haris is fading unfortunately, as is azhar ali.
We really need at least 3 new batsman in the team.

 

[Ahmed4472]

Sorry babar got 97 not 93 but that was in the first pakistan innings and not in their second. If babar gets exhausted from scoring 97, then theres a fitness issue here.

Shafiq scored some runs in that series too, not as many as babar, but he did contribute, 76 i think, in the first test in pakistans first innings.

More than fitness issues it is the concentration problem as [MENTION=79064]MMHS[/MENTION] pointed out and hopefully with time he will start scoring daddy tons. One thing though you should look out is his improvement curve. Before Lords ‘18 or the Ireland match he was totally out of place in test cricket.

Shafiq is a disappointment honestly. After 10 years of investment and safe position he still hasn’t come of age. He should have made number 3 position his after MisYou retired and Azhar started opening. He probably suits at the number 6 only. I would rather have Harris or Fawad at 5 then Shafiq. Let Shafiq enjoy number 6. He would be challenged though on foreign tours by Rizwan if we go the modern way.

 

[Captain caveman]

More than fitness issues it is the concentration problem as [MENTION=79064]MMHS[/MENTION] pointed out and hopefully with time he will start scoring daddy tons. One thing though you should look out is his improvement curve. Before Lords ‘18 or the Ireland match he was totally out of place in test cricket.

Shafiq is a disappointment honestly. After 10 years of investment and safe position he still hasn’t come of age. He should have made number 3 position his after MisYou retired and Azhar started opening. He probably suits at the number 6 only. I would rather have Harris or Fawad at 5 then Shafiq. Let Shafiq enjoy number 6. He would be challenged though on foreign tours by Rizwan if we go the modern way.

If its a concentration problem, then that is a bigger issue than fitness. You can improve your fitness by training, but its hard to train your mind to concentrate.
Makes sense though, he reaches his milestone and his brain automatically switches off because he has achieved his personal goal, regardless of the teams situation.
A classic case of a mind of a selfish person!

 

[Waleed93]

We are talking about tests here only.

Most experts will say shafiq is a top international batsman. The aussies only rated babar and shafiq. The english rate shafiq and of course mickey arthur does too.

Between 2011 and 2016, which waqar and wasim were playing for pakistan, when younis was winning games for us?

3. We are a mediocre team, but thats not my point.
My point is babar is a selfish player and when the pressure is on, he wilts
..

Shafiq was good during Younis' era when the former and Misbah used to shield him and Azhar from any kind of pressure. We all know how great he has been since their retirements.
The only reason why he is rated is because he looks good whenever he plays his shots. There is nothing more than that.

As I said, our bowling attack was much better than the bowling attack we have at the moment. During the 2011-2014 period, it was led by a peak Ajmal, who was well supported by spinners like Abdul Rehman, which led us to a number of series victories in the UAE.
In 2014, when Ajmal got banned, Yasir made his debut and started off like an ATG spinner. Our fast bowlers of this decade were never excellent, barring a few good spells here and there. Yasir has not been the same since quite some time now, and the rest of the batsmen look like amateurs in front of Babar.

In such a mediocre team, where you have one world class batsman, you usually struggle to dominate at home, so forget about winning Tests in Australia or South Africa. Babar was being called selfish in 2017, when he used to score his 50s and 100s at a low strike rate. He has vastly improved in that aspect. Apart from that, he was on another level during the WC, the biggest stage of his career. Again, the likes of Imam, Hafeez and Sarfraz were nowhere to be seen. It's not his fault if his team mates are not good enough to support him.

 

[Ahmed4472]

2007, i was not contracting then, so had a 9 to 5 and did not see much of that series. Is it the one were younis scored 260 and 177 odd?
Shafiq is definetly the second best batsman right now but i think abid ali can be equally as good.
Rizwan is an upgrade on safi and batted with spirit, but gives a lot of chances away.
Haris is fading unfortunately, as is azhar ali.
We really need at least 3 new batsman in the team.

Haha yeah its hard to watch when doing 9-5 but I do manage to watch all of Pakistan test matches. Younis made his famous 267 at Bangalore in 2005 tour and also managed 84* in the same test. Had a 147 in an earlier game at Kolkata in a loosing cause. He also made some daddy hundreds when India toured in 2006. It is easy to confuse as both sides played a lot in 4 years. India toured Pakistan in 2003 and 2004 and Pakistan returned 2005 and 2007. India were again coming in 2008 lol but that tour got canceled.

 

[Ahmed4472]

2007, i was not contracting then, so had a 9 to 5 and did not see much of that series. Is it the one were younis scored 260 and 177 odd?
Shafiq is definetly the second best batsman right now but i think abid ali can be equally as good.
Rizwan is an upgrade on safi and batted with spirit, but gives a lot of chances away.
Haris is fading unfortunately, as is azhar ali.
We really need at least 3 new batsman in the team.

Shafiq still has 2-3 years left in him or maybe more if he goes the Pakistani way but he really needs to start performing better. Harris may make a comeback if he gets fit. The guy had a good start to his test career and has domestic stats to prove that. Hopefully he is going through a lean patch. His temperament and shots though doesn’t justify lean patch statement. With Misbah at helm your last sentence is a little impossible.

 

[Captain caveman]

Shafiq was good during Younis' era when the former and Misbah used to shield him and Azhar from any kind of pressure. We all know how great he has been since their retirements.
The only reason why he is rated is because he looks good whenever he plays his shots. There is nothing more than that.

As I said, our bowling attack was much better than the bowling attack we have at the moment. During the 2011-2014 period, it was led by a peak Ajmal, who was well supported by spinners like Abdul Rehman, which led us to a number of series victories in the UAE.
In 2014, when Ajmal got banned, Yasir made his debut and started off like an ATG spinner. Our fast bowlers of this decade were never excellent, barring a few good spells here and there. Yasir has not been the same since quite some time now, and the rest of the batsmen look like amateurs in front of Babar.

In such a mediocre team, where you have one world class batsman, you usually struggle to dominate at home, so forget about winning Tests in Australia or South Africa. Babar was being called selfish in 2017, when he used to score his 50s and 100s at a low strike rate. He has vastly improved in that aspect. Apart from that, he was on another level during the WC, the biggest stage of his career. Again, the likes of Imam, Hafeez and Sarfraz were nowhere to be seen. It's not his fault if his team mates are not good enough to support him.

You are mixing up tests and odis.
Babar was selfish in odis and was called out on it and has improved by scoring quicker. The same now has to be done in tests. Someone has to say to babar just scoring a century is not enough, you need to play for the team, sometimes you will need to score a 150+ and at other times, it wont be about how much you score but how long you can bat i.e. for a draw.

 

[Captain caveman]

Shafiq still has 2-3 years left in him or maybe more if he goes the Pakistani way but he really needs to start performing better. Harris may make a comeback if he gets fit. The guy had a good start to his test career and has domestic stats to prove that. Hopefully he is going through a lean patch. His temperament and shots though doesn’t justify lean patch statement. With Misbah at helm your last sentence is a little impossible.

If abid ali can be found in domestics, than surely there must be others. A couple of middle order batsmen would be nice.

 

[Ahmed4472]

If its a concentration problem, then that is a bigger issue than fitness. You can improve your fitness by training, but its hard to train your mind to concentrate.
Makes sense though, he reaches his milestone and his brain automatically switches off because he has achieved his personal goal, regardless of the teams situation.
A classic case of a mind of a selfish person!

I guess too early to judge that. I don’t have any insight into future but going by improvements in past two years seems like he will overcome it. He has 3 centuries so far and two of them were not outs. First century: 127* vs New Zealand (couldn’t proceed further as team innings was declared). 2nd century: 104 vs Australia (he was out caught behind). 3rd century: 102* vs Sri Lanka (match was declared draw because of the bad light). Now before you pass the selfish judgement on first century that why did he not continue towards 200 or a 300 and declared the innings after getting to 127, let me tell you he was not the captain.

So statement reading his brain switches off after getting his century probably needs another look.

 

[Ahmed4472]

If abid ali can be found in domestics, than surely there must be others. A couple of middle order batsmen would be nice.

Do you think Misbah will force out Azhar and Shafiq soon? Hopefully but I don’t think so this is happening anytime soon. Maybe if we get whitewashed in England otherwise our current middle order for some period will read:

3. Azhar Ali (very smart by Misbah to make him captain. Can’t be questioned in our culture for at least 2-3 years)
4. Babar Azam (Finally one good thing happened to our cricket. Personally for me same amount of happiness as cricket returning to Pak)
5. Asad Shafique (not going anywhere)
6. Harris Sohail/Fawad Alam/ (outside Asia maybe Rizwan)
7. Rizwan/ (outside Asia put an all-rounder)

 

[Waleed93]

You are mixing up tests and odis.
Babar was selfish in odis and was called out on it and has improved by scoring quicker. The same now has to be done in tests. Someone has to say to babar just scoring a century is not enough, you need to play for the team, sometimes you will need to score a 150+ and at other times, it wont be about how much you score but how long you can bat i.e. for a draw.

Sure, and if he has done it in ODIs, he will certainly start doing it in Tests too. He took some time to adapt himself to Test Cricket. He has started to score more runs, and he will start scoring big hundreds with time as well.
He is too good a batsman not to succeed in that aspect.

 

[Joseph Gomes]

300s nowadays are considered wasteful instead of useful, Babar should not focus on such pointless goals. This is 2020, not 1920.

 

[Mute Witness]

Thank you for illustrating my point!
Babar like sachin are glory hunters, only interested in their own milestones and not the teams needs.

I dont accept that a bowler can win a test match for his side, but a batsman cant.
Score a big daddy hundred or better still a double century and the opposition will be put under alot of stress due to scoreboard pressure, which can lead to a batting collaspe and a win for your side.
Obviously, you cant do such things every game, but babar does not even try when he scores a century to go on and make it a big one, hes got what he wants and thats all he cares about.

You need 20 wickets to win a test match. A batsman can at best draw a match if your bowlers aren't good enough to take 20 wickets. In the 7 test matches last year at England, SA, and Australia, the bowlers took 20 wickets in only two matches. One of which Pakistan won after babar scored an unbeaten 50 in the only innings he played. Nevertheless i do think babar will win games for Pakistan in due time and there is no harm in reserving praise until then.

 

[Captain caveman]

I guess too early to judge that. I don’t have any insight into future but going by improvements in past two years seems like he will overcome it. He has 3 centuries so far and two of them were not outs. First century: 127* vs New Zealand (couldn’t proceed further as team innings was declared). 2nd century: 104 vs Australia (he was out caught behind). 3rd century: 102* vs Sri Lanka (match was declared draw because of the bad light). Now before you pass the selfish judgement on first century that why did he not continue towards 200 or a 300 and declared the innings after getting to 127, let me tell you he was not the captain.

So statement reading his brain switches off after getting his century probably needs another look.

Good signs then.
I think he will score some big hundreds in asia but needs to do it in SENA,.also needs to do it when the pressure is on. 2 of his 3 centuries where non pressure situation -:the one against australia, we had effectively already lost the match before we had even batted and the SL one was gong to be a draw no matter what.
Lets hope he can score some big runs but more importantly, lets hope he can play some match winning innings.

 

[Captain caveman]

You need 20 wickets to win a test match. A batsman can at best draw a match if your bowlers aren't good enough to take 20 wickets. In the 7 test matches last year at England, SA, and Australia, the bowlers took 20 wickets in only two matches. One of which Pakistan won after babar scored an unbeaten 50 in the only innings he played. Nevertheless i do think babar will win games for Pakistan in due time and there is no harm in reserving praise until then.

Fair enough, lets wait and see and hope for the best.

 

[Captain caveman]

Do you think Misbah will force out Azhar and Shafiq soon? Hopefully but I don’t think so this is happening anytime soon. Maybe if we get whitewashed in England otherwise our current middle order for some period will read:

3. Azhar Ali (very smart by Misbah to make him captain. Can’t be questioned in our culture for at least 2-3 years)
4. Babar Azam (Finally one good thing happened to our cricket. Personally for me same amount of happiness as cricket returning to Pak)
5. Asad Shafique (not going anywhere)
6. Harris Sohail/Fawad Alam/ (outside Asia maybe Rizwan)
7. Rizwan/ (outside Asia put an all-rounder)

Azhar is probably safe for a while.
But really azhar, shaan, imam and haris, all need to be replaced. And eventually shafiq too.
Only babar and rizwan in the top 7 have a long career ahead of them, the rest need to be replaced.

 

[Mirpur express]

Nothing wrong with expressing your desire to hit a triple ton , but if you are a Pakistani cricketer then get ready for the backlash!! ps why a triple Bobby?? go for a Quattro son.. break all records

 

[Rana]

I am not getting anywhete with you guys, so lets see what these guys can add, [MENTION=79064]MMHS[/MENTION] [MENTION=2016]Rana[/MENTION] can you share your views on this topic?

At the moment it is too early to judge him for being selfish in Tests. Pakistan desperately could do with a guy so selfish about his personal milestones otherwise they would end up as a laughing stock of world cricket. Their potency as a bowling unit has been on the decline for a long time and they have been let down by senior players who should have stepped up, such as Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq. At this moment in time I don’t mind if Babar is playing knocks that would give him the belief that he belongs at this level and can produce the same kind of performances such as the Elite batsmen.

Given the time when Pakistan may stabilise into a unit that can compete for Top spot, it would be worth judging Babar’s approach then. As he will have to lead the charge with the bat and others will have to follow in order to mount a serious challange. He can’t go hiding then or look for a classy 100 and out to make him feel happy with his own work.

But yes, it seems like he isn’t in the same mental category such as Inzimam who wanted to be central to Pakistan’s effort for victory in general terms. Still a far more fitter and classier batsman than Inzi ever was.

 

[MenInG]

Another 50 but expect a 100 from him today after putting the hard work.

 

[aukhan]

That day is today Babar! Seize the moment. Pitch looks ideal to score a double or triple ton.

YK scored his triple on the same ground. Best of Luck

 

[MenInG]

Pictures courtesy of the PCB

 

[Amjid Javed]

Another 50 but expect a 100 from him today after putting the hard work.

Thrown away with a poor shot, really poor lapse of concenration. Needs to improve that aspect of his game.

 

[Omer2002]

That wasnt a poor shot bowl spun but if he had stayed in his crease it would have been different...

 

[Hyperion66]

Cute fifty, did his job today.

 

[saeed5646]

Cute fifty, did his job today.

Not really this is what he do best last few nnings 104,97,8,104* 60 .60 is not the ideal

 

[saeed5646]

That wasnt a poor shot bowl spun but if he had stayed in his crease it would have been different...

Absolutely it was no way near poor shot .

 

[Hyperion66]

Not really this is what he do best last few nnings 104,97,8,104* 60 .60 is not the ideal

Revived Pak batting after a disastrous start. Did pretty great to stop the collapse. If you expect him to score a century every third innings, he isn't your guy.

 

[Globama]

Don't be surprised if this lad does score 300 in a Test.

The guy oozes class, what a batsman.

What has he done so far that gives any indication of that? Fails to convert his 50s to 100s way too often and is unable to score big hundreds. Should focus on consistently getting 150s first instead of 300s.

 

[Ronaldo7]

What has he done so far that gives any indication of that? Fails to convert his 50s to 100s way too often and is unable to score big hundreds. Should focus on consistently getting 150s first instead of 300s.

How many matches at no.4 has he played to give you that impression?

Hardly 4 matches. Let him play a few more then judge him

 

[MMHS]

That wasnt a poor shot bowl spun but if he had stayed in his crease it would have been different...

On cricket terms, that’s 0 out of 10 shot.

After a break, he walked down to a SLAO spinner without covering the line with front foot and tried to play against spin.

The success % of that shot might be at most 10% - that’s once out of 10, he could bisect the mid on & midwicket fielder. The risk factors are -

1. Missing line, beaten by flight = Bowled/Stumping
2. Edge to slip/WK
3. Top edge for a skier at deep cover
4. Thin edged return catch to bowler
5. Miscued scoop to both leg side fielders
6. Inside edge & bat pad to short leg ....

When a batsman is well, well set; team is in great position and bowlers are tiered (and fielding Captain is trying to contain), you can play a shot like that. But, just after drinks, when the game is just tilting towards PAK ..... that shot demands some punishments.

I know, it’s not easy to play the game; but he is the best batsman among 23 crore people and paid handsomely- several times more than an average professional .... he can’t get away with such blunder at a critical time.

 

[dildilpak]

Either he lacks prolonged concentration or its an issue of fitness but whatever it is, he needs to see his team through. Simply love watching Azam play, but yet to see result-defining innings from him - and till a few of those occur (especially against SENA), it will be difficult to rank him among the best. Hope he works out his issues soon.

 

[Birdman]

Babar either lacks the appetite for big runs or he gets tired and plays loose shots and gives up his wicket. That's why his best format is T20, followed by ODI and Test. All the great batsmen were great test players who had the ability to build innings and set the pace. Hope Babar learns that soon and works on that part of his game. Otherwise he will end up in the category with Bevan, Yuvi and Rohit.

 

[Abdullah]

Lol at people saying that's a poor shot.
I think he was only trying to defend the ball but was trying to mess the length of the bowler for future deliveries.
He had faced about a hundred balls and no ball up to that point had turned that much
Just a good delivery.
Some people here just deserve the sitting ducks we have ( IE rest of the team!!)

 

[Chief Destroyer]

What do you fools expect? Hundred every innings? Babar doesn't even have the leeway to score easy hundreds because this team is full of mental midgets led by a fraud coach. Batsmen like Smith and Kohli get to score a lot of soft runs because they have batsmen capable of carrying innings. Babar doesn't. Every run he scores carries a lot more weight than theirs.

 

[dildilpak]

What do you fools expect? Hundred every innings? Babar doesn't even have the leeway to score easy hundreds because this team is full of mental midgets led by a fraud coach. Batsmen like Smith and Kohli get to score a lot of soft runs because they have batsmen capable of carrying innings. Babar doesn't. Every run he scores carries a lot more weight than theirs.

Thats a crazy excuse... we are not expecting 100 every innings nor expecting him to win every match but definitely expect him to run the opposition close - till date his 50s/100s have never even remotely influenced the result of a match - now thats the ultimate definition of soft runs. Granted he is yet to establish himself in test cricket, but he has hardly managed to play game changing ODI knocks too (against quality teams). Lara, Tendulkar played with average teams too for the better part of their careers - but look at their records!!!

I am a big Babar fan too, but there’s nothing wrong in accepting a valid criticism & hoping he works on it.

 

[Hasan123]

It's worrying how he can't big 100s. He really needs to improve in this aspect

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Thats a crazy excuse... we are not expecting 100 every innings nor expecting him to win every match but definitely expect him to run the opposition close - till date his 50s/100s have never even remotely influenced the result of a match - now thats the ultimate definition of soft runs. Granted he is yet to establish himself in test cricket, but he has hardly managed to play game changing ODI knocks too (against quality teams). Lara, Tendulkar played with average teams too for the better part of their careers - but look at their records!!!

I am a big Babar fan too, but there’s nothing wrong in accepting a valid criticism & hoping he works on it.

Plenty of his runs have influenced games, you haven't been watching. He can't do the job of other 10 players as well.

 

[KingKhan12]

Babar really needs to up his game in Tests. His dismissal was a poor brain fade by him running down the wicket. His concentration level seems low once he's batting comfortably and set. Needs to show better temperament he has the talent to be one of the best but he has to score big hundreds now. He can't keep getting a start, 50 or once getting a 100 get out. Personally think Pakistan need a top batting coach who can help Babar and others.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Going forward teams are going to come up with plans. I already see a funky field placement on the leg side for Babar's flick. I would have someone at short cover and fly slip. His game has to get tighter. Lot of bigger playres have been subjected to it. I remember Chaminda vaas once kept slanting across Tendulkar once. He kept leaving but eventually his patient ran out and edged one to slips.

 

[Sin Nombre]

It is a strange comment to say that I am looking for a triple century.

Neither Smith nor Kohli have one and they are by far the best test batsmen of this era, and no one is ever going to claim they need to score one to complete their legacy.

Impactful 150+s is what wins you test matches.

 

[jnaveen1980]

It is a strange comment to say that I am looking for a triple century.

Neither Smith nor Kohli have one and they are by far the best test batsmen of this era, and no one is ever going to claim they need to score one to complete their legacy.

Impactful 150+s is what wins you test matches.

He is more focused on numbers clearly to have a memorable legacy. In test match being hungry is not a bad thing. It ultimately helps your team.

 

[Captain caveman]

He is more focused on numbers clearly to have a memorable legacy. In test match being hungry is not a bad thing. It ultimately helps your team.

True, he is focused on numbets and his own legacy.

 

[ReverseHit]

Probably a lost in translation (?) thing, but it seems snobby to say it like that's a given. Maybe he meant he aims to hit a triple century someday.

 

[Green Patriot]

It is a strange comment to say that I am looking for a triple century.

Neither Smith nor Kohli have one and they are by far the best test batsmen of this era, and no one is ever going to claim they need to score one to complete their legacy.

Impactful 150+s is what wins you test matches.

So when journalists ask Smith and Kohli whether they would like to hit a triple century what did they say?

 

[Ahmed4472]

So when journalists ask Smith and Kohli whether they would like to hit a triple century what did they say?

That’s what happens when people read only the thread title and not the details.

 

[Boi]

Bunch of numpties on here. He’s the only decent batsmen in the team and the knives are out after a 60. Be grateful first that you have a batsmen who can get hundreds and score consistently, beggars really can’t be choosers.

 

[MenInG]

My favourite pair comprises Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan. This generation of cricketers have learned a lot from Yousuf bhai’s skill & class and Younis bhai’s ‘never give up’ mind-set and we will continue to learn from them: Babar Azam

 

[Titan24]

He has all the skills but, needs to have high level of concentration for longer period of times. Whenever he starts his innings, a day or a session he has tendency to play away from his body which he needs to rectify in order to score big 100s.

 

[Firebat]

He has all the skills but, needs to have high level of concentration for longer period of times. Whenever he starts his innings, a day or a session he has tendency to play away from his body which he needs to rectify in order to score big 100s.

This isn't the first time he's been playing very well, on track for a big score, then gets out very early next morning. If memory serves, he did that in the 1st Test vs England last summer.

Clearly has got all the talent and ability, but it seems he's (currently) lacking the mental aspect that Test cricket demands.

 

[Fahdi]

Unless he starts adding to his scores of 50 or so from the previous day this will remain a pipe dream I am afraid.

 

[Zaz]

He ll come good Pakistan needs to start playing more test cricket

These 2 match series arent any good for players like babar to develop and learn from their mistakes

 

[Hasan123]

It’s worrying how he still can’t get big 100s yet. He is 26, so you can’t even use the excuse he is young.

 

[TeamPak95]

I mean the platform was there entering day 2, perhaps rather for a double than a triple.

 

[Colorblind Genius]

The mindset is shallow and off base.

I wonder if he could've said it bit more wisely by saying ...

"Scoring a double century or a triple century is useless if I am unable to win the game for my country."

 

[hitthestump]

A man of Babar's ability should absolutely aim for a goal such as a triple century. It's certainly within the reach of what he can and should achieve.

Whether he will do it is another matter, as for now he hasn't even scored a daddy century yet or shown any evidence that he can bat big under pressure.

 

[Buffet]

It’s worrying how he still can’t get big 100s yet. He is 26, so you can’t even use the excuse he is young.

His prime years are ahead of him. 1-2 big knocks can produce many more big ones.

 

[hoshiarpurexpress]

He ll come good Pakistan needs to start playing more test cricket

These 2 match series arent any good for players like babar to develop and learn from their mistakes

Pakistan has played 8 test matches in 2020-21 . In decade they play close to 85 test matches. That is a good enough sample size to score big centuries.
So he has plenty of opportunities in the future as well.

 

[Raja111]

Looks like He always starts his inning thinking of scoring a triple and his strike rate reflects that aswell. He's been playing at a strike rate of 65-70 for a while so that he could get to the triple as quick as possible before declaring!

 

[MHN1293]

Looks like He always starts his inning thinking of scoring a triple and his strike rate reflects that aswell. He's been playing at a strike rate of 65-70 for a while so that he could get to the triple as quick as possible before declaring!

Thats the problem. He should first look to watch the swing and seam off, bat at a sr of 50 until he gets to his 100 and then accelerate when the opposition is down and out.

 

[Abdullah Rabbani]

He has all the skills but, needs to have high level of concentration for longer period of times. Whenever he starts his innings, a day or a session he has tendency to play away from his body which he needs to rectify in order to score big 100s.

Shiva Jayaraman: How does Joe Root fare as a batsman on the next day when he's unbeaten overnight in Tests in recent times? The last ten times he's remained unbeaten overnight, Root has scores of 119, 60, 102, 13, 34, 112, 220, 2, 11, 96 (most recent first) - that's 770 runs from the ten times he's walked out to bat the next day. An average of 85.5 runs per dismissal on those days.

 

[Gharib Aadmi]

Can get it only against Zimbabwe, or West Indies, or Sri Lanka.

 

[Pacy with wisdom]

Babar is still not out of the oven yet. He has risen to world fame before he has become a finished test article.
He needs one double hundred and that will start a chain of big scores. That is just how his mind works.
Was the same with his first hundred in odi's and tests; the scoring of which opened the floodgates for him.

 

[zain7077]

Babar is still not out of the oven yet. He has risen to world fame before he has become a finished test article.
He needs one double hundred and that will start a chain of big scores. That is just how his mind works.
Was the same with his first hundred in odi's and tests; the scoring of which opened the floodgates for him.

When do you think he’ll get it. I hate these 2 test series and his issue with breaks. Also do you agree with Mamoon’s assessment that he’s a B+ player?

 

[Pacy with wisdom]

When do you think he’ll get it. I hate these 2 test series and his issue with breaks. Also do you agree with Mamoon’s assessment that he’s a B+ player?

If you have followed me over here, you willl have known that I dont agree with him on most matters.

Babar's method of play is right up there with the best batsmen in the world. He has also shown that he has the perseverance and mentality to challenge the best.

The journey to becoming an elite test batsman is similar to the journey of life in general. You get wiser as you age.
Kohli was similar; he couldn't get big test hundreds at the start.

This is just the start for Babar.
Sooner rather than later he will crack the code; InshaAllah.

 

[angrypathan]

Out again to left arm spin. He's very fortunate to have never faced Jadeja in test cricket

 

[Bewal Express]

Out again to left arm spin. He's very fortunate to have never faced Jadeja in test cricket

Maybe that forced to worker harder on this aspect. He will be fine

 

[Pacy with wisdom]

All great batsmen have chinks in their armour. Not long ago, Root was failing and on his good days struggling to get past 60 odd. He is getting daddy hundreds now.

Babar is of the same ilk, and is an extremely self-reflective individual.
He will iron out these issues very soon.

 

[Yk313]

A good start would be to not throw starts like he did in the 1st innings.

Difference between averaging 50 and 30.

That’s the easiest controllable to begin with.

Inability against spin will take time as that must be worked on in the off-season.

 

[Babar_Azam_fan]

Mate first try to get to 30 consistently

 

[MHN1293]

Babar is still not out of the oven yet. He has risen to world fame before he has become a finished test article.
He needs one double hundred and that will start a chain of big scores. That is just how his mind works.
Was the same with his first hundred in odi's and tests; the scoring of which opened the floodgates for him.

Not only with babar, it is the same with many great batsmen. They usaually follow up one big score with a couple of other big scores in the next couple of matches before reverting to normal procedures. A lot of kohlis doubles are grouped up back to back. Root has a couple of big scores following up each other. Williamson got two doubles in 4 matches as well against pak and wi. We will just have to wait and see when that time comes from babar. Currently he only lack in concentration.

 

[Hasan123]

His prime years are ahead of him. 1-2 big knocks can produce many more big ones.

I don't think this a case of 1 or 2 times and he will continually do it. I think he needs to it more times than that for it to be a consistent thing.

 

[hitthestump]

This could become another one of those very bumpable threads.

Babar is a quality batsman but when you have the mental strength of Asad Shafiq then big runs in tough spots is going to be hard to come by.