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[VIDEOS] Babar Azam becomes number 1 ranked batsman in ODIs

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Babar Azam becomes number 1 ranked batsman in ODIs

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Babar Azam has become the number 1 ranked batsman in the ICC ODI rankings <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://t.co/ra2x4COI3E">pic.twitter.com/ra2x4COI3E</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1382247158779408384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Babar Azam is the 4th Pakistani batsman to reach number 1 in the ICC ODI Rankings. The previous 3 were Zaheer Abbas, Mohammad Yousuf and Javed Miandad <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1382249155100295172?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Babar Azam and Virat Kohli are the only batsman who are in the top 10 of the ICC Batting Rankings in all 3 formats.<br><br>Tests - Babar 6, Kohli 5<br>ODIs - Babar 1, Kohli 2<br>T20Is - Babar 3, Kohli 5<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1382250942356160512?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Pakistan captain Babar Azam has ended the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League matches against South Africa as the number-one ranked ODI batsman in the world. The latest rankings that have been updated after the third ODI were released on Wednesday afternoon.

Babar had moved ahead of India’s Virat Kohli in number-one position after his 103 in the first match of the series. But, he slipped to second (five points behind Kohli) after scoring 31 in the second match. However, after an innings of 94 in the series finale that earned him the player of the match award, Babar has once again leapfrogged the India captain who has slipped from the No.1 ranking for the first time since replacing AB de Villiers in October 2017.

Babar had started the three-match ODI series 20 points behind Kohli and finished eight points ahead of the India batsman, earning 28 points in the series in which he aggregated 228 runs.

Babar’s No.1 ODI ranking supplements his No.6 Test and No.3 T20I rankings, which is a hallmark of a fine batsman across all three formats. At present, Kohli is the only other batsman to feature inside the top-six across all formats.

Babar is the fourth Pakistan batsman after PCB Hall of Famers Zaheer Abbas and Javed Miandad, and Mohammad Yousuf to peak to the top in the ODI batting table.

Zaheer Abbas had topped the ODI batting rankings after his 103 not out against New Zealand during the 1983 World Cup fixture at Trent Bridge, while Javed Miandad had achieved No.1 ranking after scoring 103 against Sri Lanka during the 1987 World Cup match in Hyderabad. Mohammad Yousuf was the last Pakistan batsman to move to the top following his 60 against South Africa in October 2003 in Rawalpindi.

Reacting to the news, Babar Azam said: “I feel privileged and honoured to have joined the company of stalwarts like Zaheer Abbas, Javed Miandad and Mohammad Yousuf, who will always be the shining stars of Pakistan cricket.

“This is another milestone in my career, which will now require even more hard work and absolute consistency with the bat in order for me to hold on to the ranking for an extended period of time, like Sir Vivian Richards from January 1984 to October 1988 and Virat Kohli for 1,258 days.

“I have also previously topped the T20I rankings, but the ultimate ambition and goal is to lead the Test rankings, which are the real testament and reward to a batsman’s calibre, reputation and skills. I understand to achieve this objective, I will not only have to perform consistently, but more importantly, against the top sides.

“I am looking forward to this challenge and remain confident I will be able to accomplish this target with the support of my team-mates and coaching staff.

“But at this stage, I will savour the moment as it has come almost 18 months after I was first appointed the white-ball captain and that too at the back of my performances that helped Pakistan become the first Asian side to win two ODI series in South Africa.”

Career-high rankings for Fakhar and Shaheen

Meanwhile, Fakhar Zaman has returned to the top-10 following a stellar series against South Africa in which he won the player of the series award, while Shaheen Shah Afridi is just outside the top-10 in the latest rankings.

Fakhar had scores of eight, 193 and 101, which have helped the left-hander jump from 19th to seventh – his career-best ranking to date. His previous best ranking was eighth, which he had achieved following his 138 against England at Southampton in May 2019.

The opener had moved seven places to 12th after his swashbuckling 193 in the second match, while he was rewarded with a jump of five more places following his 101 in the series-decider.

Shaheen has achieved a career-high ranking of fifth. He took three for 58 in the final match of the series, which has helped him to jump four places to 11th in the bowling table. His previous highest-ranking was 14th, which he had achieved following his two for 61 in the first ODI against South Africa.

While Shaheen has moved in an upward direction, Hasan Ali and Faheem Ashraf have slipped in the latest rankings, which were updated following the third ODI. Hasan has dropped six places to 54th, while Faheem is now 57th after sliding three places. However, Mohammad Nawaz has vaulted 29 places to 96th after his figures of three for 34 at Centurion –third ODI.
 
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Good to see Pakistan's top 3 in Top 15 ODI batsmen and Shaheen at 11 in ODI bowlers.
 
Amazes me that despite strike rate being such a crucial determinant of batting impact is simply ignored in ranking algo. Neither babar nor kohli would be anywhere near the top if SR were somehow taken into account.
 
FWIW, who was the last pak batsman at the top of ODI batting ranking? Anwar?
 
Well deserved, the best ODI batsman in the world. An absolute champion of a player. King Babar has arrived!

Hopefully he conquers test rankings next and improves his power hitting in t20Is.
 
Babar is like Shreyas Iyer and Manish Pandey mould into one. Great stats but no impact.

Just another statistician delight.
 
Last Pakistan batsman was Mohammed Yousuf, before that was Javed Miadad and Zaheer Abbas was the first. Babar joins elite players at the top.
 
Shoaib Malik was also number 1 in ODI in 2008-09 i remember.
 
He can stay #1 for throughout the decade. Top rank means nothing if he's not winning matches for his team. Applies to any top batsman of any team.
 
It's a great achievement for him and recognition of his consistency.

I don't think the rankings take all factors in to account for determining whom the actual best is assuming No.1 equates to being the "best"; however, against the metric used to determine the rankings Babar's doing well enough in all 3 formats of the game to be amongst the performing players in the world at this moment which is something to be proud of.

I like him a lot and hope he can press on to convert his consistency into influential performances.

Good stuff, Bobby yaar.
 
AMSS said:
Amazes me that despite strike rate being such a crucial determinant of batting impact is simply ignored in ranking algo. Neither babar nor kohli would be anywhere near the top if SR were somehow taken into account.
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Watching too many Pyjama League matches? It seems you have forgotten how ODI cricket used to be played. Sachin Tendulkar(indian cricketer) who mostly played as an opener had a strike rate of 86. Ricky Ponting(australian cricketer) had a strike rate of 80. Both of them remained at top. Would like to know what type of algorithm will you write to determine the impact of an inning. How accurate and unbiased that will be? :inti
 
Must be the first number 1 ranked batsmen, that the opposition would not be bothered if he bats the entire overs, especially when chasing big scores.
 
Needs to improve his game, stats can be misleading sometimes.

We all know he is nowhere among top 3 ODI batsmen right now.

It is high time for him to take ownership and win the matches for Pakistan rather than just maintaining his average across all the formats.
 
From tape-ball cricket to the top of the world: Babar Azam's incredible rise
Men's ODI rankings


From playing on the streets of Lahore to the top of the world – batting sensation Babar Azam has officially climbed a summit unreached by any Pakistani since Mohammad Yousuf.

Azam’s spot at the top of the ICC men’s ODI batting rankings was confirmed on Wednesday, to the delight of Pakistani supporters who last saw a batsman from their country occupy the top spot in 2003.

We look back on the 26-year-old sensation’s rise to the top.

THE FORMATIVE YEARS

For Azam, the journey started in the same way it has for so many cricket lovers around the world. Playing on the streets around his family home in Lahore.

By 12 he was playing serious tape-ball cricket and at age 14 he had his first meaningful taste of failure in the sport as he was rejected from the national academy.

It was only a setback. A year later he would gain entry and be declared the country’s best Under-15 batsman. Not that it was easy. He had spent the past year leaving home at 10am in the company of two of his cousins and a friend, walking an hour to Model Town Park where they would set up the nets. They would not come home until 8pm. It was that kind of diligence and hard work that would carry him to the top.

DOMINATING UNDER-19s

In 2009, still only 15 years old, the first signs of a generational talent emerged.

Opening the batting in his first-ever match at the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup, taking on a West Indies line-up filled with future internationals, he scored a brilliant 129 off 132 deliveries.

Pakistan would go on to finish second at that tournament, with Azam third on the run-scoring charts. He finished with 298 runs at 59.60, ahead of the likes of Joe Root, Ben Stokes and KL Rahul. Competing against players up to three years older than him in New Zealand, he had dominated.

Two years later he found himself leading Pakistan at the U19 Cricket World Cup 2012 in Australia. Once again he finished among the top three run-scorers, making 287 at 57.40 with one century and two fifties.


KNOCKING ON THE DOOR IN DOMESTIC CRICKET

He was still only 17 years old during his second U19 World Cup but by then he had already become a regular in Pakistan’s domestic tournaments.

By age 15 he had made his List A debut and by 16 he was a first-class cricketer for ZTBL.

He would spend five years knocking on the door in domestic cricket before achieving the lifelong dream of representing his nation at the senior level.

In just his second season of List A cricket he averaged 80.25, and he went on to average more than 55 in each of his next two domestic campaigns.

His star waned in his fifth season but in the summer of 2014/15 he returned to his best, smashing 571 runs at 63.44 across 11 List A matches with three centuries to his name.

By the time he received his first ODI cap he already had six centuries and more than 2000 List A runs at an average of 47.88 to his name.

A HOMETOWN DEBUT

Fittingly when he received his first ODI cap, on 31 May 2015, it was in his hometown of Lahore at Gaddafi Stadium. It was just five kilometres away from Model Town Park where he and his friends had once trained.

It had been a landmark month for cricket in Lahore, with the city hosting international fixtures for the first time in six years.

Still only 20 years old, Azam took the occasion in his stride, stroking a 60-ball 54. As would become synonymous with an Azam innings, it was played with a minimum of risks but at an impressive clip.

With wickets falling around him, he dealt his damage mostly in ones and twos, but still raced to his half-century in just 54 balls, with his four boundaries coming off deliveries that asked to be hit.

He had arrived.

A STAR EMERGES

Nowadays, Azam’s place among ODI cricket’s finest players is unquestionable. An average of 56.83 and 13 centuries across just 80 matches will do that sort of thing.

However, across his first year and a half on the international stage there were only signs of promise rather than concrete evidence of a world-class player. Across his first 15 ODIs, he had averaged 37.57, with his five half-centuries as much cause for hope as frustration.

It all changed on the final day of September in 2016 as he punched a delivery from West Indies spinner Sunil Narine through the covers to raise his first ODI century at Sharjah in the UAE.

With that first international century scored, the floodgates were opened.

He notched two more hundreds in his next two innings against the West Indies, becoming the first player to ever score their first three ODI centuries in consecutive innings.

Since that first ton against the West Indies, he has scored 13 hundreds in 65 matches with an average of 61.92.

CHAMPIONS TROPHY WINNER

In 2017, Pakistan won their first global 50-over trophy in 25 years, beating rivals India in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy after going into the tournament as firm underdogs.

Azam, not yet born when Imran Khan’s famous outfit won the World Cup in ’92, scored an important 46 in the final and averaged a healthy 44.33 for the tournament.

The men in green received a hero’s welcome on their return to Pakistan, with Azam coming home to see his car sprinkled in petals by his neighbours.

"I always try to give my 100% and want to improve with every passing game," he told reporters at the time. "I am happy that I have contributed in the victories and excited to be a part of this historic moment."

KICKING ON

That desire to continue improving was on show as he notched back-to-back centuries in his first two matches after the Champions Trophy.

Both came against Sri Lanka and both were in the UAE, where he had now scored hundreds in five consecutive ODI innings. No one has ever scored more consecutive ODI tons in a country.

By September 2018 he passed 2000 runs in ODI cricket, reaching the milestone in just 45 innings. Only one player has ever gotten there quicker and that is South African great Hashim Amla. Amla took just 40 innings.


THE WORLD CUP

By the time the ICC Cricket World Cup rolled around in 2019, Pakistan knew they had a star in Azam. It was at the showpiece tournament that the rest of the world really caught on too.

A 66-ball 63 in a surprise win for Pakistan against hosts England in his second match of the tournament had caught the eye. So too had his 48 against India and 69 against South Africa.

However, they had all left fans wanting more. More of those gorgeous cover drives. More of that serenity at the crease. But most importantly, more runs. For the Azam who had so regularly turned starts into so much more to come out on the world stage.

Against New Zealand, he did just that, scoring his first-ever Cricket World Cup century as Pakistan got home with five balls to spare on a pitch that offered plenty to the bowlers.

“This is my best innings,” Azam told reporters after the match. “The wicket was very difficult and turned a lot in the second half. The plan was to go through to the end and give my 100 per cent."

He went on to make history in that tournament, scoring 474 runs at 67.61 to break Javed Miandad’s 1992 record for the most runs by a Pakistan batsman in a Cricket World Cup campaign.

A CAPTAIN’S RUN TO NO.1

Shortly after the World Cup, Azam was named Pakistan’s ODI captain. So far the added responsibility has only further fuelled his success.

In his six ODIs since being named captain, Azam has averaged 89.80 with a strike rate of 102.98, passing 50 four times.

In his third match as captain, he scored a run-a-ball 125 against Zimbabwe. He followed it up with a century against South Africa at Centurion, powering his team to a series-opening victory. He went on to score 94 in the decider last week, securing Pakistan’s second-ever ODI series win in South Africa.

That 94 was also enough to secure Azam top spot on the ICC ODI batting rankings, ending Pakistan’s nearly 18-year long wait for somebody to follow in the footsteps of Yousuf.

Still only 26 years old, Azam's best years are still ahead of him.

Given he boasts the third greatest ODI average (56.83) in history right now, that is a scary thought for opposition teams all around the world.


https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/2104124
 
Monumental achievement considering No.2 and 3 are Kohli and Rohit Sharma
 
Congrats young man! The competition between Babar, Kohli, Sharma, Zaman, Bairstow...heck Root too, let's put some respect on that name! Anyway, great to see these guys raising the standards for ODI batting.
 
Someone uploaded this on twitter.. looks apt.
Kohlis reign of 41 month halted..
Congrats [MENTION=151956]Bigboii[/MENTION] bro..

Capture.JPG
 
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hoshiarpurexpress said:
Someone uploaded this on twitter.. looks apt.
Kohlis reign of 41 month halted..
Congrats [MENTION=151956]Bigboii[/MENTION] bro..

View attachment 108627
Click to expand...

:bow: dude this picture made me so happy!
I am not joking this genuinely made my day, what a picture no Pakistani fan even 3,4 years ago could dare think of something like this to happen

Bigboii said:
All the Great kings and queens of the world have been called selfish like Kobe Mamba, it's written into the fate of a great king

Nevertheless
King is here to reign over his kingdom for years to come :hasan2

Let the haters hate, let the pakophobes squirm in anguish, verily that is their plight


The young prince is the new all-powerful king, point him to the throne coronation ceremony has arrived :ba
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Even in PCB's podcast, Babar talked about how Kolhi helped him with techniques, talking points so the new king is a humble one too! :rizthumbsup
 
WhenSultansBowled said:
Of course buddy.

Any Indian current batsman can only dream of playing this innings: https://www.espncricinfo.com/series...vs-pakistan-33rd-match-1144515/full-scorecard

Talk about "statistician delight".

There is a reason India, despite having delightful statistics, are not winning jack in trophies.
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Hmm..
Rohit Sharma innings in the same WC on a spicy pitch :
https://www.espncricinfo.com/series...south-africa-8th-match-1144490/full-scorecard

Virat Kohli vs SRL in VB Series in 2012, kept India in hunt for final else would have been knocked out:
https://www.espncricinfo.com/series...vs-sri-lanka-11th-match-518966/full-scorecard

The list is long from current Indian batters who have played such and greater innings than Babar, that I can fill a whole PP page with that.
But, Congrats on Babar being number 1. You have a world class player after so long, Cherish him.
 
Congratulations, but there is still a long way to go. He needs to keep working hard to become a world class match-winning player.
 
Babar's podcast with PCB to go through his career and who helped him along the way, how he struggled for runs and worked on his techniques, how he worked very hard, his trademark cover drive, his influences
 
Bigboii said:
:bow: dude this picture made me so happy!
I am not joking this genuinely made my day, what a picture no Pakistani fan even 3,4 years ago could dare think of something like this to happen



Even in PCB's podcast, Babar talked about how Kolhi helped him with techniques, talking points so the new king is a humble one too! :rizthumbsup
Click to expand...

Congrats. Hopefully in Test also upwards and onwards. Enjoy his silky cover drives.
 
hoshiarpurexpress said:
Hmm..
Rohit Sharma innings in the same WC on a spicy pitch :
https://www.espncricinfo.com/series...south-africa-8th-match-1144490/full-scorecard

Virat Kohli vs SRL in VB Series in 2012, kept India in hunt for final else would have been knocked out:
https://www.espncricinfo.com/series...vs-sri-lanka-11th-match-518966/full-scorecard

The list is long from current Indian batters who have played such and greater innings than Babar, that I can fill a whole PP page with that.
But, Congrats on Babar being number 1. You have a world class player after so long, Cherish him.
Click to expand...

Agreed, people need to relax. Babar is only at the top because of consistency and current form. That doens't mean that he has played much, much better than others. There have been countless innings far better than anything Babar has produced. He is rewarded for his consistency, so we should accept it and leave it at that.
 
Bigboii said:
Babar's podcast with PCB to go through his career and who helped him along the way, how he struggled for runs and worked on his techniques, how he worked very hard, his trademark cover drive, his influences
Click to expand...

Yeah at 9:00 in that he talks about keeping the same intensity in nets, as suggested by Virat himself.
Because preparation is key, results will come which are coming for Babar now.
 
Bhaag Viru Bhaag said:
Watching too many Pyjama League matches? It seems you have forgotten how ODI cricket used to be played. Sachin Tendulkar(indian cricketer) who mostly played as an opener had a strike rate of 86. Ricky Ponting(australian cricketer) had a strike rate of 80. Both of them remained at top. Would like to know what type of algorithm will you write to determine the impact of an inning. How accurate and unbiased that will be? :inti
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This post is wrong on so many counts that it boggles the mind. Tendulkar's strike rate for 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 combined was around 93 and Sehwags in the same period was 123. The game has gotten even faster in recent times and Babar should be compared to contemporaries like Roy, Bairstow, Buttler etc. Check those guys' strike rates since 2015. Strike rates are extremely important in ODI cricket , not just pyjama cricket :inti
 
UzmanBeast said:
Agreed, people need to relax. Babar is only at the top because of consistency and current form. That doens't mean that he has played much, much better than others. There have been countless innings far better than anything Babar has produced. He is rewarded for his consistency, so we should accept it and leave it at that.
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He is 26.. and has some 10 more years. I am pretty sure he will peak further and provide us innings to cherish, and more innings like the NZ one. No need to compare with anyone.
Let Babar be Babar.. the best ODI bat in the world now.
 
Nikhil_cric said:
This post is wrong on so many counts that it boggles the mind. Tendulkar's strike rate for 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 combined was around 93 and Sehwags in the same period was 123. The game has gotten even faster in recent times and Babar should be compared to contemporaries like Roy, Bairstow, Buttler etc. Check those guys' strike rates since 2015. Strike rates are extremely important in ODI cricket , not just pyjama cricket :inti
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This. The whole transformation of Englands White Ball cricket has been due to Strike Rate.
Imagine, a team that sucked so long in ODI cricket is the No.1 and most feared white ball team in the world now. All due to Strike Rate.
And Tendulkar was pretty aggressive during his era. Pretty sure Ponting and Tendulkar would have had a strike rate of 130+ in modern and then add their consistency.
Tendulkar scored a 82 off 49 balls, with that Thaapii of a bat back in 1994.
 
sindhiboy said:
Didn't Pandey score an 80 ball hundred in Australia?
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Bro, he played that knock in 2016 vs second string Australian attack. This is 2021 now. He doesn't have anything special to show up and he is same age as Kohli. So, it makes sense for TM to look for better options.
 
hoshiarpurexpress said:
Hmm..
Rohit Sharma innings in the same WC on a spicy pitch :
https://www.espncricinfo.com/series...south-africa-8th-match-1144490/full-scorecard

Virat Kohli vs SRL in VB Series in 2012, kept India in hunt for final else would have been knocked out:
https://www.espncricinfo.com/series...vs-sri-lanka-11th-match-518966/full-scorecard

The list is long from current Indian batters who have played such and greater innings than Babar, that I can fill a whole PP page with that.
But, Congrats on Babar being number 1. You have a world class player after so long, Cherish him.
Click to expand...

Believe me, we do.

You Indians should also recognize his #1 status which he earned by his hard work and consistency, despite Pak playing so little, fixers, no home games, BCCI constantly backstabbing and so may other well documented factors.
 
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hoshiarpurexpress said:
He is 26.. and has some 10 more years. I am pretty sure he will peak further and provide us innings to cherish, and more innings like the NZ one. No need to compare with anyone.
Let Babar be Babar.. the best ODI bat in the world now.
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Agreed, comparisons are not needed at this stage of his career.
 
Have always maintained that these rankings are meaningless due to very weak normalisation process.

Hope this atleast makes some PPers feel superior and sleep better!
 
Well deserved.

It had to take someone with the natural skills, determination and hard work of Babar Azam to take that number 1 position at only 26 years of age from the legend of white ball cricket that Kohli has been. Babar will have to put in extra effort to remain there and to form his own run at that position as some other modern greats are still around though in the later part of their careers. In next 3,5 years when some of the last gen greats finish their careers I dont see many young players currently competing with Babar unless someone really turns it around or someone new with traits of top players come in.
 
WhenSultansBowled said:
Of course buddy.

Any Indian current batsman can only dream of playing this innings: https://www.espncricinfo.com/series...vs-pakistan-33rd-match-1144515/full-scorecard

Talk about "statistician delight".

There is a reason India, despite having delightful statistics, are not winning jack in trophies.
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Good knock but fact that you show up a 240 chase proved my point further.

The likes of Shreyas Iyer and Manish Pandey are perfectly suitable to chasing such knocks only. This is exactly what Babar does. He is very good in chasing 240-250 type knocks. But the real challenge is to chase bigger totals and take the game away by the scruff of its neck which Babar lacks.

Now, I know someone may intervene and throw up the 2019 WC semi final chase but that was costed by Thala as he played 50 off 70 type innings after coming to bat when S/R was around 7.0.
 
Ab Fan said:
Babar is like Sachin Tendulkar mould into one. Great stats but no impact.

Just another statistician delight.
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That’s an interesting take, at least the Indian is being consistent here
 
Great achievement for Babar the one truly world class player in Pakistan especially in ODIS.
 
MesonK said:
Imagine these two playing in same teams.

Destruction ...
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The two best ODI batsmen in the world are already playing in the same team and yes it is destructive.

No better sight in ODI cricket than a Kohli-Rohit partnership.
 
There are several better batsmen than Babar so this ranking doesn’t mean anything, but for a team of Pakistan’s low caliber, this is a great achievement indeed.

It is unthinkable to see a Pakistani batsman top the rankings, so this is something to be cherished.
 
Congratulations! I am a big fan of Babar's batting. May he continue to do well. The captaincy will be a test, I hope it doesn't distract him from his batting.
 
Mamoon said:
There are several better batsmen than Babar so this ranking doesn’t mean anything, but for a team of Pakistan’s low caliber, this is a great achievement indeed.

It is unthinkable to see a Pakistani batsman top the rankings, so this is something to be cherished.
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The key thing from here is how Babar performs now to maintain to his No.1 ranking — is he just there for a few days or can he like Tendulkar / Kohli make this his own position.
 
These are our little joys now, so let's just enjoy it as long as it lasts :)
 
Congratulations to Babar. Very elegant batsman, pleasure to watch.
 
Mamoon said:
The two best ODI batsmen in the world are already playing in the same team and yes it is destructive.

No better sight in ODI cricket than a Kohli-Rohit partnership.
Click to expand...

Stats (ranking in this case) matter ... your fan opinions do not.

BA is ranked higher than both Indo men like it or not.
 
Regardless if he is the true number one doesn't change the fact he is still one of the best limited overs batsmen in the world. Something we have never really had.
 
Congrats to Babar Azam!! It's a great achievement and it was inevitable.
 
I'm here to pay homage to the new world #1 ODI batsman.

Well done Babar. You deserve it.

Wishing you well.

Looking forward to see you play the best cricket of your life in next few years.
 
What a player!

Regardless of rankings he is right in top bracket of batsman.

The fact that he has been able to be be ranked so high with the fab 4 in their best days shows how good he is.
 
Pakistanis and others will do ifs and buts on their own player like they do. Others will point to some other weaknesses.

But rankings are emotionless. The table never lies.

Well done Babar. Proud achievement.
 
Great job!

The tougher part starts now and that would be holding it for few years.
 
#1 Ranking doesn't mean anything if you can't lead your team in tough circumstances, for example, a tough chase.

As luck would have it, today could be the day - Bobby has a chance to show the world that he truly deserves this ranking. I wont hold my breath though.
 
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Congratulations to Babar.

Next target to bring in the ICC trophies!
 
bala977 said:
#1 Ranking doesn't mean anything if you can't lead your team in tough circumstances, for example, a tough chase.

As luck would have it, today could be the day - Bobby has a chance to show the world that he truly deserves this ranking. I wont hold my breath though.
Click to expand...

He has been ranked number 1 in odi not T20's.
How would he prove anything in ODI'S while playing T20's?
Comoletely different formats.
 
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