Umar Akmal vs Babar Azam : The vagary of talent

[Haroon786]

Both were hyped to a significant extent, both were seen as the next batting stalwarts of Pakistan and both were posited as the most talented batsmen of their generations. However, as the years have rolled past we have seen Umar plummet from a position of bristling potential, whereby he could've gone on to achieve greater things to a low ebb where he is now ridiculed for being a poor man's Afridi and is one of the most ungainly looking international cricketers at present. However, whilst Babar has also started on a promising note and despite his baptism of fire against Australia recently in the Test series, his temperament is far better and his technique more stoic and fluent (despite his minor issues) than his cousin's. Babar has displayed signs of performance across all three formats of the game and therefore represents the possibility of the first Pakistani batsman who can excel in all three formats in the game.

Will Babar be able develop further and advance his Cricketing stature beyond words of mere potential and superficial hype or will he also falter and cascade down from his current lofty standing as one of the most talented young batsman in the world similar to his cousin a few years ago ?

 

[Syed1]

Despite Babar's forgettable innings in the 3rd ODI he is still miles better than his cousin who is an over-weight and over-hyped TTF. The sooner we drop Akmal and permanently end his career the better. Within his short career he has been dropped and brought back countless times. Soon he will be rivaling Muhammad Sami in the number of comebacks.

Every time Umar comes back he is worse than what he was before being dropped.

Send him packing and try some new youngsters in his place. They can't do any worse than Umar with the bat and would atleast be fit enough to contribute in the field.

 

[Markhor]

Babar has been given a baptism of fire with two out of his first three Test series being two tough away tours.

Ideally, he would've been bedded in earlier in the Test side when we had a run of several series in Asia.

He has been worked over by Hazlewood, and there have been some rash shots outside off, but hopefully he's a smart enough batsman to rectify any flaws in his game.

 

[marlonbrowndo]

Despite Babar's forgettable innings in the 3rd ODI he is still miles better than his cousin who is an over-weight and over-hyped TTF. The sooner we drop Akmal and permanently end his career the better. Within his short career he has been dropped and brought back countless times. Soon he will be rivaling Muhammad Sami in the number of comebacks.

Every time Umar comes back he is worse than what he was before being dropped.

Send him packing and try some new youngsters in his place. They can't do any worse than Umar with the bat and would atleast be fit enough to contribute in the field.

Hilarious. Don't understand how Pakistani fans find a way to bash every single thing after a loss. He set the damn platform to get 300. The lack of power hitting in the last 10 is the only reason we didn't get 300

 

[Barragan]

Umar Akmal has achieved a lot, despite playing out of position for the entirety of his career.

If anyone was expecting Akmal to score 10 hundreds at no. 6, then that is simply a delusion and no one has even scored more than 2 hundreds at that position, so he has done a very good job.

Thankfully, Arthur came in right now and played Babar in one of his preferred positions, otherwise he would have been languishing down the order and being played out of position.

 

[mz123]

Umar has more talent, but babar has a better brain.

 

[Abdullah]

my prayers are with him but the line of batsman who got bigged up before him but fell by the way side is long.

 

[Hasan123]

Babar has shown better tempremeant than Umar. Also his technique is very good but improvements can be made. Good that Arthur saw his talent and put him at 3. Working with a professional coach like Arthur will do wonders for Babar. Selectors must give him a long rope in tests as it's clear the talent is there. In Odis he seems to have cemented his place, just needs to turn the, 30/40s into bigger scores. Seems to be a mental thing more than a technical thing. Playing international cricket will be of more benefit than our useless domestic cricket.

 

[Haroon786]

Babar has shown better tempremeant than Umar. Also his technique is very good but improvements can be made. Good that Arthur saw his talent and put him at 3. Working with a professional coach like Arthur will do wonders for Babar. Selectors must give him a long rope in tests as it's clear the talent is there. In Odis he seems to have cemented his place, just needs to turn the, 30/40s into bigger scores. Seems to be a mental thing more than a technical thing. Playing international cricket will be of more benefit than our useless domestic cricket.

I do think there is a technical issue with Hazelwood having Babar's number at present but he can certainly rectify this and comeback stronger in his next Test series vs WI.

I do think Babar has a significant Test future and he can and will have to improve even if given many chances as there needs to be a gradual manifestation of improvement being made and higher scores with more consistency happening.

 

[Muhammad10]

Babar clearly has superior temperament to Akmal, which means he possesses the mentality of a batsman who can play big knocks and show some consistency.

Meanwhile his cousin's lack of big scores across a career spanning close to a decade is indicative of his mentality and makes it rather obvious that he is not cut out to be a proper batsman who will score regularly and set up victories with big knocks, rather he is a more of a flash in the pan type of player (inferior, non-bowling and mentally weaker version of Maxwell if you like).

Both cousins are greatly talented, but Umar's poor work ethic has seen him regress to the point of looking like a tailender for the most part, with the ability to play a couple of breathtaking strokes here and there. Barring a drastic change in Umar's approach to the game; i.e. the miraculous emergence of professionalism and a cricketing brain, I don't see him coming close to achieving his potential.

Babar, on the other hand, has had a very promising start. Thankfully, he's been persisted with at the top of the order and has shown remarkable levels of consistency for a Pakistani batsman. Undoubtedly requires some work on his technique, (playing across his pad, and at times not moving his feet at all which could partly be due to laziness) particularly for the longer format, but the most important thing is that he's shown he can be the dynamic batsman Pakistan has been craving.

One of our few players who don't make me feel like smashing the television set when I see him accelerating, as he tends to do it by virtue of proper cricketing shots rather than some of the agricultural heaving Pakistan fans have become accustomed to witnessing.

 

[Hasan123]

I do think there is a technical issue with Hazelwood having Babar's number at present but he can certainly rectify this and comeback stronger in his next Test series vs WI.

I do think Babar has a significant Test future and he can and will have to improve even if given many chances as there needs to be a gradual manifestation of improvement being made and higher scores with more consistency happening.

Yes it's an issue that can be rectified.


I think once he gets one big score in tests more will follow. Australia and New Zealand isn't an easy place to start your test career.

 

[Haroon786]

Yes it's an issue that can be rectified.


I think once he gets one big score in tests more will follow. Australia and New Zealand isn't an easy place to start your test career.

I agree; Babar looks like the type that knows he is the one that will eventually carry the Pakistani batting lineup and he is gradually coming to terms with each format of the game. In T20Is and ODIs, he acclimatised to international Cricket quite remarkably quickly after his debut and in Tests he should also be able to improve and get better as he is too good to not to advance further.

 

[Abdullah]

Umar Akmal has achieved a lot, despite playing out of position for the entirety of his career.

If anyone was expecting Akmal to score 10 hundreds at no. 6, then that is simply a delusion and no one has even scored more than 2 hundreds at that position, so he has done a very good job.

Thankfully, Arthur came in right now and played Babar in one of his preferred positions, otherwise he would have been languishing down the order and being played out of position.

i would like to agree with u about umar but he lets himself down. in all 3 innings he has played he has had a wild slog inside 10-15 balls that could have had him dismissed.
then look at the shape he is in...
is he really serious about his cricket or does he just want to play domestic t20 leagues.

 

[Barragan]

i would like to agree with u about umar but he lets himself down. in all 3 innings he has played he has had a wild slog inside 10-15 balls that could have had him dismissed.
then look at the shape he is in...
is he really serious about his cricket or does he just want to play domestic t20 leagues.

I watched his previous innings and he played some good shots, to take Pak over the line and they weren't wild swings either (don't know about the other two innings).

As for fitness, can't say much.

 

[Abdullah]

I watched his previous innings and he played some good shots, to take Pak over the line and they weren't wild swings either (don't know about the other two innings).

As for fitness, can't say much.

game 1
16.1
0 Starc to Umar Akmal, no run, yikes. What waaaas thaaat? Full and wide outside off, Akmal runs at Starc and aims to send him into the long-on stands. Misses

game 2
46.3
1 Faulkner to Umar Akmal, 1 run, a wild swing. Full on off, Akmal looks to smash this over midwicket, a thick inside edge towards leg gully

game 3

31.5
0 Head to Umar Akmal, no run, MISSED STUMPING! Umar Akmal obviously has a different plan than his cousin at the other end. Steps out to a good length ball outside off, his hands and eyes are looking for the midwicket boundary, but the ball has snuck through him and Wade hasn't collected that. Poor from both of them.

 

[kingusama92]

Babar is of a different class to Umar Akmal in terms of technique. It's the reason he'll do well moving forward.

 

[Abdullah]

first game there is still 30+ overs to bat.
today it was his 6th ball.
the 2nd game i can forgive because we needed about 10.

 

[Barragan]

game 2
46.3
1 Faulkner to Umar Akmal, 1 run, a wild swing. Full on off, Akmal looks to smash this over midwicket, a thick inside edge towards leg gully

I saw the 2nd game and it wasn't a wild swing.

I don't know about the other two, so can't comment about it.

 

[yasir]

Despite Babar's forgettable innings in the 3rd ODI he is still miles better than his cousin who is an over-weight and over-hyped TTF. The sooner we drop Akmal and permanently end his career the better. Within his short career he has been dropped and brought back countless times. Soon he will be rivaling Muhammad Sami in the number of comebacks.

Every time Umar comes back he is worse than what he was before being dropped.

Send him packing and try some new youngsters in his place. They can't do any worse than Umar with the bat and would atleast be fit enough to contribute in the field.

Hilarious. Don't understand how Pakistani fans find a way to bash every single thing after a loss. He set the damn platform to get 300. The lack of power hitting in the last 10 is the only reason we didn't get 300

We were We were 160 in 30th, 200 in 38th over, still only manage 70 runs in last 12(60 in last 10)...In today's standard, till is 40/50 runs below par, it has everything to do with lack of power hitters...Even tail can make 60 in last 10...Umar, Immad, Rizwan are to be blamed... On top Hafeez and Shafiq looked completely out of place...Hafeez never looked like an opener and he has been playing for 12 years, go figure...

Babar, Sharjeel and Malik has done their job, others are not doing their part... Umar slowly is not even a power hitter, he never settled as a batsmen, his Cousin just came in and looked much better player (both temperament wise and range of shorts...

At times batsmen struggle with timing and foot work, like Babar is recently, but he still did not give up or went for suicide shorts, rather try fight it out in the middle, he recovered nicely, but when Umar(as a designated hitter) was suppose to take charge, he went into shell, not even taking singles, that cost wicket of Babar at wrong time... Contrast that to Umar, who went for suicide mission on fifth ball, and then go into his shell...

 

[msb314]

Despite Babar's forgettable innings in the 3rd ODI he is still miles better than his cousin who is an over-weight and over-hyped TTF. The sooner we drop Akmal and permanently end his career the better. Within his short career he has been dropped and brought back countless times. Soon he will be rivaling Muhammad Sami in the number of comebacks.

Every time Umar comes back he is worse than what he was before being dropped.

Send him packing and try some new youngsters in his place. They can't do any worse than Umar with the bat and would atleast be fit enough to contribute in the field.

It wasn't even that bad - he played at a SR of 84 in the end.

 

[Square Drive]

Are people seriously bashing Babar for his performance yesterday?

 

[Asim2Good]

this is still too early in Babar career, we should not have high hopes from him keeping in mind record of "talented" youngsters.

We can only hope that he ll continue his good work.
I am more concern of Umar Akmal being closed to him on these trips early on his career, hopefully he ll not have negative effect on his mind. in his game and team politics as well.

 

[khurram39]

He looks more controlled with his emotions than his cousin and behave like a composed batsman. Hopeful to see him standing with the giants of the game.

 

[Ahson8]

Expecting Babar's career to really kick off from here now

On a serious note though, Akmal could achieve a lot more if he used his brain. He looked equally good, if not better, when he first burst on to the international scene but has sadly regressed.

 

[JaDed]

Hilarious. Don't understand how Pakistani fans find a way to bash every single thing after a loss. He set the damn platform to get 300. The lack of power hitting in the last 10 is the only reason we didn't get 300

Thats 90s cricket mate,there is no setting platform for team,the batsman sets platform for himself to settle down and then move his strike rate above 100 and make a big one.

He is young and will learn.

 

[JaDed]

Expecting Babar's career to really kick off from here now

On a serious note though, Akmal could achieve a lot more if he used his brain. He looked equally good, if not better, when he first burst on to the international scene but has sadly regressed.

Rofl ) yup im expecting a century in coming 2 matches

 

[Hamza_]

Anyone compared to Akmal has gone on to pile runs and runs. Hoping it is the same with Babar, Good thread.

 

[ExpressPacer]

Babar Azam is far more talented. However, talent only gets you so far. Even if Babar was inferior in terms of talent, he would have been the better player given his work ethic. It's obvious that he gives his technique importance and that he's been working hard in the nets as he's becoming a better player by the day.

Despite falling short in talent compared to Azam, I would say Umar Akmal is one of the most talented individuals Pakistan Cricket has seen in the past decade but the wrong company, a poor work ethic and low levels of commitment have made Akmal the perfect example as to how the world doesn't care about how talented you are.

 

[ads101]

Umar looked better. Remember in his first year of international cricket, in tests he was effortlessly good, looked a class apart from the rest. In ODIs, scored a century down the order at over SR 140. Was an absolute savage, his technique looked good, no problem finding the gaps. Babar looks a lot more measured, he also doesn't look a world away from his team mates like umar did (though partly the fault of the opposition he's faced West Indies every one did well pretty much).

Babar looks like a reliable player, who will most likely have a great career. But even that six umar produced last match, don't see Babar doing something like that. Umar's the most talented batsman I've seen with Yousuf, when in their prime (Umar's admittedly didn't last long), they made batting look easy.

 

[JibranAnsari]

babar has already done more than akmal has in his 7 and a half years career.

 

[Tekcirc]

babar has already done more than akmal has in his 7 and a half years career.

That's not fair , when Akmal started he was good and i think for longer period than Babar has had till now!!

Three things ruined Akmal:


1. Constant shuffling of his role in team
2. His own lack of commitment

and

3. Akmal brotherhood (there is some bad omen related to these brothers)

 

[vandokkum]

A player who was dropped for so long and yet comes back to the side with a big belly and worse stamina.... shows how much he cares about his career.

 

[Syed1]

Not condoning Umar's performance (or lack off) or his fitness standards but Umar was unfortunate to have played majority of his ODI career under Misbah who inculcated a defensive mindset in the side.

The standard operating procedure in that period was that Pakistan would crawl its way to 180 in 40 overs and then expect the likes of Umar Akmal and Afridi to score 100 in the last 10. It was never going to work and it never did.

This is one of the reasons why we are languishing at number eight in the rankings.

 

[Haroon786]

Babar Azam is far more talented. However, talent only gets you so far. Even if Babar was inferior in terms of talent, he would have been the better player given his work ethic. It's obvious that he gives his technique importance and that he's been working hard in the nets as he's becoming a better player by the day.

Despite falling short in talent compared to Azam, I would say Umar Akmal is one of the most talented individuals Pakistan Cricket has seen in the past decade but the wrong company, a poor work ethic and low levels of commitment have made Akmal the perfect example as to how the world doesn't care about how talented you are.

In terms of stroke making and fluency at the crease, I believe Umar was better than Babar in his first few years.

 

[Haroon786]

Not condoning Umar's performance (or lack off) or his fitness standards but Umar was unfortunate to have played majority of his ODI career under Misbah who inculcated a defensive mindset in the side.

The standard operating procedure in that period was that Pakistan would crawl its way to 180 in 40 overs and then expect the likes of Umar Akmal and Afridi to score 100 in the last 10. It was never going to work and it never did.

This is one of the reasons why we are languishing at number eight in the rankings.

For his first 4-5 years, up to the SA series in 2013 Umar did very well in ODIs, averaging a shade under 40 and striking at 90 runs per hundred balls and also being the best Pakistani batsman in the T20I side. However, his temperamental issues, zero work ethic and prima donna mentality has meant he subsided so drastically that he now is a fringe player who is mocked by Pakistani fans.

 

[Junaids]

Mark my words, the second Misbah retires you will find that Mickey Arthur will want Umar Akmal to bat at 5 in the Test team.

He will want:

1. Azhar Ali
2. Sami Aslam
3. Babar Azam
4. Asad Shafiq
5. Umar Akmal
6. Sarfraz Ahmed
7. Mohammad Nawaz or Aamer Yamin or Hammad Azam

 

[Flat_Track_Bully]

At 21 Babar has the poise and balance to pierce the field in picture perfect form. When he is 27 he will peak into ATG mode.

For so long PCB have been looking for that signature no.3 batter.

If Umar can learn to keep the ball on the ground and go for boundaries more then he can be up there.

But right now Babar is the premier batter in Pak and in his age category in the world. Compare his technique to Alam or Maqsood. This is the caliber of batter we need.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Umar's looked pretty composed so far in his return. He will learn a lot watching and playing with Babar.

 

[Tekcirc]

At 21 Babar has the poise and balance to pierce the field in picture perfect form. When he is 27 he will peak into ATG mode.

For so long PCB have been looking for that signature no.3 batter.

If Umar can learn to keep the ball on the ground and go for boundaries more then he can be up there.

But right now Babar is the premier batter in Pak and in his age category in the world. Compare his technique to Alam or Maqsood. This is the caliber of batter we need.

Lets hold the horses for such mighty predictions!!

All around the world plenty of misfiring potential ATG have been there. We have our Rohit Sharma who is still good but never lived up to his predictions of being the next replacement for Tendulkar.
NZ had Jesse Ryder, Shaun Marsh for Aus. 6 years is pretty long time to extrapolate.

 

[Flat_Track_Bully]

Lets hold the horses for such mighty predictions!!

All around the world plenty of misfiring potential ATG have been there. We have our Rohit Sharma who is still good but never lived up to his predictions of being the next replacement for Tendulkar.
NZ had Jesse Ryder, Shaun Marsh for Aus. 6 years is pretty long time to extrapolate.

Rohit is a loose hack compared to Babar lets face it. Babar has a compact technique, he needs another 2 seasons in international cricket and he will easily be in top 10 batters worldwide currently.

 

[Haroon786]

Mark my words, the second Misbah retires you will find that Mickey Arthur will want Umar Akmal to bat at 5 in the Test team.

He will want:

1. Azhar Ali
2. Sami Aslam
3. Babar Azam
4. Asad Shafiq
5. Umar Akmal
6. Sarfraz Ahmed
7. Mohammad Nawaz or Aamer Yamin or Hammad Azam

Seeing the decline in Umar's performances in LOIs over the last few years, it is evident that he was a better player 5 years ago than he is right now - further to this, we ajudicate that Umar would struggle to even match the average he was putting up in Tests when he debuted as he struggles to bat beyond 30-40 runs most of the time and very rarely has shown the requisite application in ODIs let alone Tests to carry the team in a calculated manner. Furthermore, has Umar even played enough domestic FC Cricket to warrant a suitable sample size of worth for an optimistic selection ? I don't think so, he always seems to be playing in T20 leagues around the world rather than attempting a comeback in to the Test team. Moreover, I remember back in the 2012 WT20, Umar had a very good physique and was performing well but now his fitness is so poor it looks like he's a retired 45 year old.

If Mickey does make such an inane decision, then on what grounds can he justify it ?

 

[Tekcirc]

Rohit is a loose hack compared to Babar lets face it. Babar has a compact technique, he needs another 2 seasons in international cricket and he will easily be in top 10 batters worldwide currently.

REALLy??? )

Calling the only guy with two double hundreds in ODIs a loose hack !!!!

 

[Hasan123]

Mark my words, the second Misbah retires you will find that Mickey Arthur will want Umar Akmal to bat at 5 in the Test team.

He will want:

1. Azhar Ali
2. Sami Aslam
3. Babar Azam
4. Asad Shafiq
5. Umar Akmal
6. Sarfraz Ahmed
7. Mohammad Nawaz or Aamer Yamin or Hammad Azam

Not that I hate Umar or anything, but have you seen his fitness and weight? Also he hasn't exactly been making substantial scores in domestic cricket for you to be many such bold claims. Umar hasn't been convincing in the current LO series so don't know why you have drawn to the conclusion he will be an automatic selection once Misbah retires.

 

[superman]

How has umar gone so fat, surely they do drills and feilding practise? He knows he is a proffesional sportsman representing his country so lay off the fried foods. Reckon if he improves his physique he will change as he will be able to hit faster and harder.

 

[Haroon786]

How has umar gone so fat, surely they do drills and feilding practise? He knows he is a proffesional sportsman representing his country so lay off the fried foods. Reckon if he improves his physique he will change as he will be able to hit faster and harder.

To maintain fitness, you need to be working out all year round and have a good diet of food. A few days of training before a series makes minimal difference.

 

[ali2220]

REALLy??? )

Calling the only guy with two double hundreds in ODIs a loose hack !!!!

You know what funny, its mostly indians who describe rohit as hack (from what i have seen)

rohit might continue to do great for india in onedayers, but Babar is likely to play Younis Khan role for Pakistan in future.

 

[Haroon786]

You know what funny, its mostly indians who describe rohit as hack (from what i have seen)

rohit might continue to do great for india in onedayers, but Babar is likely to play Younis Khan role for Pakistan in future.

No, I'd want Babar to perform and influence matches when the series is possible to win in home and away conditions, in all formats and major trophy competitions.

 

[Tekcirc]

You know what funny, its mostly indians who describe rohit as hack (from what i have seen)

rohit might continue to do great for india in onedayers, but Babar is likely to play Younis Khan role for Pakistan in future.

If something makes nonsensical statements, copying it doesn't make you any smarter than them. Infact it shows you don't have originial views of your own.

Rohit infuriates because we have been spoiled by the crazy consistency of Kohli. But Rohit easily walks into any ODI team in world cricket, while Babar Azam has just started.

 

[Rayyman]

Bump

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Babar has potential to become Pakistan's best ever odi bat. He is in a different league to others.

 

[Zeshan547]

Akmal is more talented but without hard work and hunger for big runs, babar is lesser talented but very dedicated worker and has big hunger for big runs, so hardwork over talent any day of the week.

 

[Rayyman]

Akmal is more talented but without hard work and hunger for big runs, babar is lesser talented but very dedicated worker and has big hunger for big runs, so hardwork over talent any day of the week.

Azam is still very talented, regardless of the level of his work ethic.

 

[Zeshan547]

Azam is still very talented, regardless of the level of his work ethic.

yeah agree with you because you can't achieve what babar has achieved in his short carrier with sheer hard work only you got to be talented as well, but i stil think umar was better talent in his early days i think even better than kohli but that's where the comparison end because current umar is not good enough to tie show laces of kohli, that's all down to hard work rather than talent.

 

[o_ahsan99]

I think Umer Akmal ruined his career by getting involved in team politics trying to save Kamran Akmal from being dropped. I remember he once faked a back injury to ensure Kamran plays (not sure if he did it to avoid keeping). Umer Akmal got involved in these antics in 2010 and never recovered. To make matters worse, instead of working hard and earning a spot, he started wining and complaining about each and everything and this is where his learning and development stopped.

Hopefully, Babar can learn something from Sangakara and put in the extra miles in training in order to maximize his potential.

 

[Dr_Bassim]

The big question remains.

What is talent?

Does talent mean charging down the wicket to a fast bowler and hitting him over mid wicket for a 6?

Because if that's what it means, Afridi is much better player than Umar Akmal.

But if talent means identifying your weaknesses, growing over them and establishing a niche for yourself in the team, trying to play to your strengths and not having mental lapses then surely Umar is far away from talent.

I like how the easiest cop out for most people is

Yes Umar was very talented when he hit Shane Bond for sixes 8 years ago, but now he has been ruined by team management, Misbah or even some believe by himself.

What was there to ruin?

He got extremely lucky to hit a century on his debut. After that EVERY INNINGS I've watched (now a disclaimer here, I might have missed a few ) , he gives AT LEAST ONE CHANCE before he even scores big.

Is that talent?

That just means he banks on his ability to hit big and hit himself out of trouble and score a breezy 30 and 40 and then depart with a pained expression.

In that regards Afridi is not much different if not better because at least Afridi can bowl.

Umar is the worst example of talent we believe in Pakistan.

The dude is NOT talented at all.

Sure he can hit big, but so can Sohail Tanveer. Now you tell me is Sohail Tanveer Talented?

 

[Indiafan]

Akmal is more talented but without hard work and hunger for big runs, babar is lesser talented but very dedicated worker and has big hunger for big runs, so hardwork over talent any day of the week.

Akmal is more talented because he hits more shots in the air? In India too people call Rohit Sharma talented for the same reason, because he plays some good looking aerial shots. The way Babar and Kohli can keep the ball down, find gaps, take runs of even good ball is a 100 times more talented than an unexpected six (which both of them can still hit). Somehow playing risk free cricket is associated with less talent and hitting risky/eye-pleasing/aerial shots is considered more talented. Its not that Babar or Kohli cannot play those shots. Its that they play the best shots with the best rewards with lowest risk since they plan to bat long

 

[pacesensation]

Both were hyped to a significant extent, both were seen as the next batting stalwarts of Pakistan and both were posited as the most talented batsmen of their generations. However, as the years have rolled past we have seen Umar plummet from a position of bristling potential, whereby he could've gone on to achieve greater things to a low ebb where he is now ridiculed for being a poor man's Afridi and is one of the most ungainly looking international cricketers at present. However, whilst Babar has also started on a promising note and despite his baptism of fire against Australia recently in the Test series, his temperament is far better and his technique more stoic and fluent (despite his minor issues) than his cousin's. Babar has displayed signs of performance across all three formats of the game and therefore represents the possibility of the first Pakistani batsman who can excel in all three formats in the game.

Will Babar be able develop further and advance his Cricketing stature beyond words of mere potential and superficial hype or will he also falter and cascade down from his current lofty standing as one of the most talented young batsman in the world similar to his cousin a few years ago ?

babar azam has been ordinary in test.

Umar akmal was pretty good in tests against bond etc.

Babar azam should have showed some mettle against aussies in test matches. Thats the problem with him.
Problem with people is that they forget past too fast. He wont be facing any quality bowling under trying conditions. Apart from champions trophy he is going to have easy matches.
You can gauge the potential of a player under difficult conditions.

Regards

 

[Tekcirc]

Both have had exceptional start to their career. Akmal had far better test start than Babar Azam.
Both got compared to Kohli.

The only thing is will Babar Azam sustain his good start.

Career progression wise Akmal > Babar Azam (just slight, considering Tests)

 

[Slog]

Akmal is more talented because he hits more shots in the air? In India too people call Rohit Sharma talented for the same reason, because he plays some good looking aerial shots. The way Babar and Kohli can keep the ball down, find gaps, take runs of even good ball is a 100 times more talented than an unexpected six (which both of them can still hit). Somehow playing risk free cricket is associated with less talent and hitting risky/eye-pleasing/aerial shots is considered more talented. Its not that Babar or Kohli cannot play those shots. Its that they play the best shots with the best rewards with lowest risk since they plan to bat long

Ive always had this thought process and baffled why more people dont take htis into account

is knowing when to rein in instincts, having ability to score runs while playing risk free shots a sign of talent also?

 

[khurram39]

Umar akmal fails to establish himself as a batsman because of his short temperament and poor short selection along with over confidence while babar still is not in that mood. He has good temperament and also not over aggressive remains in his limits also builds his innings. Umar is a failure and dead investment.

 

[Markhor]

Akmal can't tie his cousin's shoelaces.

 

[Haroon786]

babar azam has been ordinary in test.

Umar akmal was pretty good in tests against bond etc.

Babar azam should have showed some mettle against aussies in test matches. Thats the problem with him.
Problem with people is that they forget past too fast. He wont be facing any quality bowling under trying conditions. Apart from champions trophy he is going to have easy matches.
You can gauge the potential of a player under difficult conditions.

Regards

Babar has played what, a handful of matches in Tests?

If Umar should be lauded for a couple of innings vs Bond then Babar should also be lauded for his 90 odd in NZ.

Babar was poor vs the Aussies, but he has potential and will be persisted with for the next few years.

 

[WhenSultansBowled]

I am bumping this thread with intention that Babar may play a match winning innings in SF vs England tomorrow. Insha'Allah.