[VIDEOS] Is Babar Azam the best all format batter in the world currently?

[MenInG]

 

[Mesozoic]

Im struggling with the concept whereby 2 years ago is deemed as current form. Current season is not 2 years ago, it is what is happening in the present i.e this season.

Based on current form Babar > Karunaratne

There is a big difference between "In the last 2 years" and "2 years ago". It's basic English. Don't know why you're acting so naive.

'Current season' is a flawed argument. Some teams have hardly played 4-5 games. You can't really say Abdullah Shafique is better than Joe Root can you?

 

[silentkiller187]

There is a big difference between "In the last 2 years" and "2 years ago". It's basic English. Don't know why you're acting so naive.

'Current season' is a flawed argument. Some teams have hardly played 4-5 games. You can't really say Abdullah Shafique is better than Joe Root can you?

Like you know very well, sometimes there is more to life than just stats and rankings. Like i have mentioned before opinion is one thing, but bias is something completely different, which is why most of the cricket ex pros and writers hold Babar in high regard, much higher regard than say Karunaratne.

 

[Mesozoic]

Like you know very well, sometimes there is more to life than just stats and rankings. Like i have mentioned before opinion is one thing, but bias is something completely different, which is why most of the cricket ex pros and writers hold Babar in high regard, much higher regard than say Karunaratne.

You are really trying hard with the "biased" thing.

Babar is held in high regard mostly because of his exploits and numbers in white ball cricket. His test numbers and performances are nothing special to say the least.

 

[silentkiller187]

You are really trying hard with the "biased" thing.

Babar is held in high regard mostly because of his exploits and numbers in white ball cricket. His test numbers and performances are nothing special to say the least.

Im not even sure what your trying by suggesting Karunaratne is a better batsmen than Babar, end of the day its all opinion based we can agree to disagree.

 

[Mesozoic]

Im not even sure what your trying by suggesting Karunaratne is a better batsmen than Babar, end of the day its all opinion based we can agree to disagree.

I'm suggesting exactly that... What is so hard in that to understand lol?

But yeah agree to disagree. Cheers.

 

[dravidthewall]

Don't judge batsman in flat deck of Karachi.Even inam ul haq scoring 100s for fun.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Don't judge batsman in flat deck of Karachi.Even inam ul haq scoring 100s for fun.

Yeah because Babar has played all his cricket in Karachi only.

 

[shamaan]

Current form = Sample size of last 1/2 years.

Last 2 years, Dimuth averages 53 while Babar averages 47. DK scored two brilliant hundreds in South Africa and India in that time frame. That's twice the number of away hundreds Babar scored in his entire Test career.

Current form is what is happening at present not last 2 years ago.

 

[Mesozoic]

Current form is what is happening at present not last 2 years ago.

Again. There's a massive difference between "In the last two years" and "two years ago".

And how do you define "at present"? Last game? Last series? Last month?

 

[silentkiller187]

I'm suggesting exactly that... What is so hard in that to understand lol?

But yeah agree to disagree. Cheers.

2 years ago is the past so you could say in the past xyz was better, but unfortunately based on current form Babar is comfortably better.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

For the 1000th time, there's a monumental difference between "In the last two years" and "two years ago". When one says 'In the last two years , they're including the past two years (in this case 2020-2022). 'Two years ago' would mean they're talking about the period preceding those two years (that is before 2020).

Can't believe I had to do this.

No surprises there that you would pick Dimuth over Babar Azam lol.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Im not even sure what your trying by suggesting Karunaratne is a better batsmen than Babar, end of the day its all opinion based we can agree to disagree.

Karunaratne a 34 year old batsman whose test average is 39 something, has an average of 27 in ODIs and who never played a T20I is better than Babar? May be Mr [MENTION=151350]Mesozoic[/MENTION] forgot that this thread talks about all formats? Knowing [MENTION=151350]Mesozoic[/MENTION] and his OTT statements here I am not that surprised to be honest. I mean he is the same guy who claimed that even IPL teams can beat SL, Pak, Ban, Afghanistan easily and ran away from this forum for few days when even India couldn't beat Pakistan in a WT20. Take anything what he says with a 'bori' of salt.

 

[silentkiller187]

Are you saying that on current form Dimuth is a better batsman than Babar?

Current form equates to performances 2 years ago according to this poster.

 

[Mesozoic]

Are you saying that on current form Dimuth is a better batsman than Babar?

In Tests, yes.

Of course Babar is miles better when we consider all the formats.

 

[Hextro]

In Tests, yes.

Of course Babar is miles better when we consider all the formats.

How is Dimuth better than Babar in tests?

It seems like you are referring to their "current form" but at the same time you are using a dataset that ranges 2 years, their stats over the past year would paint a better picture of who is in better form.

Their stats from 05 May 2021 to 05 May 2022 in test cricket.

Babar:

Innings - 13, Average - 57.00, Runs - 684

Dimuth:

Innings - 8, Average - 55.50, Runs - 444

Both of them have done very well but it's clear that Babar is in better form.

 

[silentkiller187]

Hilarious how you dodge all my posts where I clearly explained the difference between 'In the last two years' and 'Two years ago' and beat this same dead horse again and again.

You do you I guess.

The reason dk stats are anywhere near as good as babar is because of performances 2 years ago, if that wasn't the case you would compare from last year. So therefore it's not current form simple logic.

Theres a reason why don't you compare 3 years or 1 year..

 

[Mesozoic]

How is Dimuth better than Babar in tests?

It seems like you are referring to their "current form" but at the same time you are using a dataset that ranges 2 years, their stats over the past year would paint a better picture of who is in better form.

Their stats from 05 May 2021 to 05 May 2022 in test cricket.

Babar:

Innings - 13, Average - 57.00, Runs - 684

Dimuth:

Innings - 8, Average - 55.50, Runs - 444

Both of them have done very well but it's clear that Babar is in better form.

Thanks for the stats...


Yes Babar has slightly better stats. I mentioned that earlier as well. But you need to dig just a little deeper to know why Karunatatne's performances speak louder than Babar's. He has proven himself in some tough batting conditions (hundreds in South Africa and India) while Babar managed to inflate his stats on the back of a great home series against Australia played on some of the flattest test wickets ever seen in South Asia. And still he just averages a meagre one and a half run more than DK.

You see.

 

[Hextro]

Thanks for the stats...


Yes Babar has slightly better stats. I mentioned that earlier as well. But you need to dig just a little deeper to know why Karunatatne's performances speak louder than Babar's. He has proven himself in some tough batting conditions (hundreds in South Africa and India) while Babar managed to inflate his stats on the back of a great home series against Australia played on some of the flattest test wickets ever seen in South Asia. And still he just averages a meagre one and a half run more than DK.

You see.

The stats I posted are from 05 May 2021 to today, during that period Dimuth scored 2 hundred against the West Indies(at home) and India(away).

I don't know why Indians(on social media) try so hard to put down Babar's hundred vs Australia, Babar got the highest score in the 4th innings by a captain in cricket history and batted over 400 delivers to save a test match. How is Dimuth's 107 in a losing cause better than Babar's match saving 196?

 

[Mesozoic]

The stats I posted are from 05 May 2021 to today, during that period Dimuth scored 2 hundred against the West Indies(at home) and India(away).

I don't know why Indians(on social media) try so hard to put down Babar's hundred vs Australia, Babar got the highest score in the 4th innings by a captain in cricket history and batted over 400 delivers to save a test match. How is Dimuth's 107 in a losing cause better than Babar's match saving 196?

At home. Against a good bowling attack (for SC conditions). On a flat wicket which didn't really deteriorate much even on day 5.

Away from home. Against probably the strongest ever bowling attack (SC conditions). On a proper rank turner.

Kohli's top 3 test knocks all came in a losing cause (Edgebaston 2018, Perth 2018, Centurion 2018).

 

[Mesozoic]

People should really go back and watch Karunaratne's knock at the Chinnaswamy before saying Babar's 190 is better.

The former was pure batting masterclass on how to bat on a day-4 rank turner with invariable bounce against a deadly strong attack.

 

[James]

Had to just tidy up this thread which was full of low quality posts and people getting insulting and/or personal for no reason whatsoever.

Cricket is just a game. Chill.

 

[Hextro]

At home. Against a good bowling attack (for SC conditions). On a flat wicket which didn't really deteriorate much even on day 5.

Away from home. Against probably the strongest ever bowling attack (SC conditions). On a proper rank turner.

Kohli's top 3 test knocks all came in a losing cause (Edgebaston 2018, Perth 2018, Centurion 2018).

Kohli has 1 match winning hundred away vs a sena team in his career. Kohli isn't the benchmark for test cricket.

 

[Hextro]

People should really go back and watch Karunaratne's knock at the Chinnaswamy before saying Babar's 190 is better.

The former was pure batting masterclass on how to bat on a day-4 rank turner with invariable bounce against a deadly strong attack.

How about you take your own advice and rewatch Babar's knock before talking about how "easy" it is to bat for 2 days against arguably the best bowling attack in the world with the ball reverse swinging and spinning on a 5th day pitch.

You've convinced yourself that India's bowling attack is so good that even losing against them is an impressive feat... come back down to earth buddy.

 

[Mesozoic]

How about you take your own advice and rewatch Babar's knock before talking about how "easy" it is to bat for 2 days against arguably the best bowling attack in the world with the ball reverse swinging and spinning on a 5th day pitch.

You've convinced yourself that India's bowling attack is so good that even losing against them is an impressive feat... come back down to earth buddy.

Trust me I watched almost every single ball on day 5 karachi and there wasn't really too much in it for the bowlers. Odd ball spun a bit but it was still a great wicket to bat on. Doesn't even come close to the Banglore wicket.

And there's no need for any "convincing" brother. For subcontinent conditions, a bowling attack of Bumrah-Shami-Ashwin-Jadeja-Axar is at least a two levels above Cummins-Starc-Lyon-Swepson-Green. There's nothing to even argue about here.

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

Steve Smith has only one match winning Test hundred in Asia. Smith isn't the benchmark for Test cricket.

You see how stupid that sounds?

Kohli has 1 match winning hundred away vs a sena team in his career. Kohli isn't the benchmark for test cricket.

And Sachin has only two match winning centuries in SENA in a career of 200 matches.
Maybe even he isn't the benchmark for test cricket.

 

[Hextro]

Trust me I watched almost every single ball on day 5 karachi and there wasn't really too much in it for the bowlers. Odd ball spun a bit but it was still a great wicket to bat on. Doesn't even come close to the Banglore wicket.

And there's no need for any "convincing" brother. For subcontinent conditions, a bowling attack of Bumrah-Shami-Ashwin-Jadeja-Axar is at least a two levels above Cummins-Starc-Lyon-Swepson-Green. There's nothing to even argue about here.

Bring out numbers that prove batting against the self proclaimed GOAT bowling lineup that consists of Bumrah-Shami-Ashwin-Jadeja-Axar(who is this guy?) on a indian surface is harder than batting against Australia on a day 5 pitch.

Babar played an ATG innings to save his team from a inevitable loss whereas Dimuth got a hundred in a lost cause. The results speak for themselves, I know admitting that Babar is the best all format batsman in the world right now hurts your ego but you have to start accepting the reality. You guys keep setting new benchmarks for Babar and when he breaks those benchmarks you set new ones for him, at what point do you give up and admit that he's a good batsman? You guys are still unironically comparing him with Rahul.

 

[Hextro]

Steve Smith has only one match winning Test hundred in Asia. Smith isn't the benchmark for Test cricket.

You see how stupid that sounds?

Although Steve Smith has been average in Asia when it comes to getting results he still averages a fraction under 60, having a average of around 60 is a remarkable achievement and due to that Smith is special. Kohli averages under 50 which is nothing special or even worth mentioning.

 

[Hextro]

And Sachin has only two match winning centuries in SENA in a career of 200 matches.
Maybe even he isn't the benchmark for test cricket.

Damn having only 2 matching winning hundreds in SENA despite having a career of 200 Test matches is just poor.

That stat has lowered Sachin's stature in my eyes.

 

[Mobashir]

Damn having only 2 matching winning hundreds in SENA despite having a career of 200 Test matches is just poor.

That stat has lowered Sachin's stature in my eyes.

That is in fact not a great stat but still there is a huge difference between both.
Indian team under Tendulkar was not a dominating team and hence it wasn't easy to win a match in SENA for them. Kohli's team has many wins in SENA, but still he just doesn't perform when needed most of the time.

 

[cricketjoshila]

Although Steve Smith has been average in Asia when it comes to getting results he still averages a fraction under 60, having a average of around 60 is a remarkable achievement and due to that Smith is special. Kohli averages under 50 which is nothing special or even worth mentioning.

Babar Azam has never touched the avg of 50 in tests, he is not even worth mentioning in any best batsman discussion.

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

Damn having only 2 matching winning hundreds in SENA despite having a career of 200 Test matches is just poor.

That stat has lowered Sachin's stature in my eyes.

That is in fact not a great stat but still there is a huge difference between both.
Indian team under Tendulkar was not a dominating team and hence it wasn't easy to win a match in SENA for them. Kohli's team has many wins in SENA, but still he just doesn't perform when needed most of the time.

Dravid, Sachin, Younis, Sangakkara, Pujara, Gavaskar, Kohli all have only two or one centuries in wins in SENA.
It is similar to Steve Smith, Steve Waugh, Hayden, Clarke etc centuries in wins in Asia(minus bang).

Rahul has the same centuries as SRT in wins in SENA, that tells us a lot about the credibility of this Stat.

 

[Hextro]

Babar Azam has never touched the avg of 50 in tests, he is not even worth mentioning in any best batsman discussion.

Kohli has already passed his peak and is at the tail end of his career now whereas Babar is yet to reach his peak in test cricket.

Basically it's only downhill from now on for Kohli.

What I meant by the comment you replied to was pretty obvious and not hard to comprehend, I can't believe you missed the point of that comment.

 

[Hextro]

Aah yes... here comes the expected straw man. So predictable.

But honestly if you need "numbers" to convince yourselves that Australian attack is better than the Indian one for Asian conditions, then I'm afraid I don't have nothing else to add here. Of course you're free to look up cricinfo for the required stats, but I bet you won't like those...




Stop getting so emotional jeez.

I literally admitted the same thing in my very first post on this thread.

So you have nothing to backup your argument with?

Dimuth century = loss

Babar century = draw

It's good to know you respect losing more than not losing.

 

[Ab Fan]

KL Rahul is the greatest match winner to come from subcontinent in SENA conditions @bhaag_viru_bhaag

 

[Hextro]

Lmao.

Got to love the own goal after own goal on this thread. )

Refer to this:

"Kohli has already passed his peak and is at the tail end of his career now whereas Babar is yet to reach his peak in test cricket. Basically it's only downhill from now on for Kohli."

"Own goal"

 

[Hextro]

Dravid, Sachin, Younis, Sangakkara, Pujara, Gavaskar, Kohli all have only two or one centuries in wins in SENA.
It is similar to Steve Smith, Steve Waugh, Hayden, Clarke etc centuries in wins in Asia(minus bang).

Rahul has the same centuries as SRT in wins in SENA, that tells us a lot about the credibility of this Stat.

Saeed Anwar had a career of only 55 test matches yet he still has 4 centuries in wins vs SENA away from home.

No matter how much you defend it having only 2 centuries in wins vs SENA away from home after playing 200 test matches in your career is extremely poor.

 

[Hextro]

KL Rahul is the greatest match winner to come from subcontinent in SENA conditions @bhaag_viru_bhaag

That would be Saeed Anwar. It's a shame that Rahul only averages 35 in test cricket, it seemed like he had potential to be a great batsman when he first came on to the scene but it was not meant to be I guess.

 

[cricketjoshila]

Kohli has already passed his peak and is at the tail end of his career now whereas Babar is yet to reach his peak in test cricket.

Basically it's only downhill from now on for Kohli.

What I meant by the comment you replied to was pretty obvious and not hard to comprehend, I can't believe you missed the point of that comment.

After a fill in the boots series Babar's avg crossed 45. Babar us about to be 28. When will his peak come?

 

[cricketjoshila]

So you have nothing to backup your argument with?

Dimuth century = loss

Babar century = draw

It's good to know you respect losing more than not losing.

One was with a pink ball away against India. No team has won a series in India in nearly 10 years.

While Babar was playing at home on the most flat pitches.

 

[cricketjoshila]

Saeed Anwar had a career of only 55 test matches yet he still has 4 centuries in wins vs SENA away from home.

No matter how much you defend it having only 2 centuries in wins vs SENA away from home after playing 200 test matches in your career is extremely poor.

Where are these wins?

 

[Mesozoic]

Refer to this:

"Kohli has already passed his peak and is at the tail end of his career now whereas Babar is yet to reach his peak in test cricket. Basically it's only downhill from now on for Kohli."

"Own goal"

Still an own goal buddy.


You tried to downplay Kohli because his average dropped below 50 recently but are desperately trying to hype up Babar while he averages 45. Definition of a self ownage.

 

[Mobashir]

Dravid, Sachin, Younis, Sangakkara, Pujara, Gavaskar, Kohli all have only two or one centuries in wins in SENA.
It is similar to Steve Smith, Steve Waugh, Hayden, Clarke etc centuries in wins in Asia(minus bang).

Rahul has the same centuries as SRT in wins in SENA, that tells us a lot about the credibility of this Stat.

As I said there are many parameters to look at in this stat. You surely can't just go on the number of centuries in wins.

In the list, Kohli has, by far, the most wins in SENA. So you can except him to have more hundreds in wins than the others.

 

[The lone Ranger]

It's funny how some posters are trying to overhype babar's 196 as best innings just because it helped drawing the match but forgot to see how flat the pitches were in that series. A couple of dropped catches helped him against an attack who had been toothless since Day 1 of the series and even rizwan also scored a hundred. there was no way you could pick up wickets on a day 5 pitch that's how flat it was.

Babar is just an average test player. Imagine someone with 1 test century outside Asia in his 7 years of career is being called the best player in the world??? Even Pant has 3 overseas centuries in his 4 years of career.

 

[Mobashir]

It's funny how some posters are trying to overhype babar's 196 as best innings just because it helped drawing the match but forgot to see how flat the pitches were in that series. A couple of dropped catches helped him against an attack who had been toothless since Day 1 of the series and even rizwan also scored a hundred. there was no way you could pick up wickets on a day 5 pitch that's how flat it was.

Babar is just an average test player. Imagine someone with 1 test century outside Asia in his 7 years of career is being called the best player in the world??? Even Pant has 3 overseas centuries in his 4 years of career.

One thing is sure, you didn't watch the match.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Babar Azam has never touched the avg of 50 in tests, he is not even worth mentioning in any best batsman discussion.

He is not as lucky as some of our superstars who gets to regularly play at home tracks and improve their overall stats and have reached an avg of 50 somewhere in their careers. This is a fact which most of our fans try to ignore deliberately and take it for granted. Here are some of the stats of some players who keeps getting compared to 27 year old Babar Azam, who just like KL Rahul hasn't even reached his peak yet.

Babar Azam :
Real Home avg : 83 (only played 8 matches out of 40)
Away Avg : 37 (24 matches)
Neutral Venue : 40 (8 matches)

Kohli :
Home avg : 61 (46 matches)
Away avg : 43 (54 matches)
Neutral Venue : 28 (1 match)

KL Rahul :
Home avg : 44 (14 matches)
Away avg : 32 (29 matches)

This one is for IPL boy. [MENTION=151350]Mesozoic[/MENTION]
Dimuth Karunaratne:
Home avg : 49(31 matches lol)
Away avg : 29.8(40 matches)
Neutral venue : 56 (5 matches )

 

[Hextro]

After a fill in the boots series Babar's avg crossed 45. Babar us about to be 28. When will his peak come?

A batsman peaks at 29-33.

We can see Babar's growth as a test batsman just by looking at his World Test Championship average of 64.5 after 29 innings.

 

[Hextro]

One was with a pink ball away against India. No team has won a series in India in nearly 10 years.

While Babar was playing at home on the most flat pitches.

Again how can you say losing a match is more impressive than drawing one? Sachin fan mentality.

 

[Hextro]

Where are these wins?

2nd Test, Durban, February 26 - March 02, 1998, Pakistan tour of South Africa - 118

2nd Test, Wellington, February 17 - 20, 1994, Pakistan tour of New Zealand - 169

3rd Test, The Oval, August 22 - 26, 1996, Pakistan tour of England and Scotland - 176

I miss calculated. Saeed Anwar only has 3 centuries in wins vs SENA away from home(In the total 15 test matches Saeed has played away vs SENA) compared to Sachin's 2 centuries(In the total 63! test matches Sachin has played away vs SENA).

 

[Hextro]

Still an own goal buddy.


You tried to downplay Kohli because his average dropped below 50 recently but are desperately trying to hype up Babar while he averages 45. Definition of a self ownage.

How is saying that a player that's yet to reach his peak will likely average over 50? Kohli is over the hill.

 

[jeetu]

Since 2019 , batsman's with minimum 2000 runs (all 3 formats)
[table=class: grid, align: center]
[tr][td]Player [/td][td]Mat [/td][td]Inns [/td][td]Runs [/td][td]Ave [/td][td]SR [/td][td]100 [/td][td]50 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]UT Khawaja (AUS) [/td][td]33 [/td][td]42 [/td][td]2101 [/td][td]56.78 [/td][td]66.19 [/td][td]7 [/td][td]10 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Babar Azam (PAK) [/td][td]101 [/td][td]110 [/td][td]5409 [/td][td]54.63 [/td][td]84.7 [/td][td]14 [/td][td]38 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]KS Williamson (NZ) [/td][td]58 [/td][td]66 [/td][td]2993 [/td][td]52.5 [/td][td]68.08 [/td][td]7 [/td][td]15 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]M Labuschagne (AUS) [/td][td]41 [/td][td]57 [/td][td]2872 [/td][td]51.28 [/td][td]58.99 [/td][td]7 [/td][td]17 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]DA Warner (AUS) [/td][td]60 [/td][td]75 [/td][td]3264 [/td][td]51 [/td][td]79.8 [/td][td]8 [/td][td]19 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]SPD Smith (AUS) [/td][td]65 [/td][td]71 [/td][td]3213 [/td][td]48.68 [/td][td]64.75 [/td][td]7 [/td][td]20 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]JE Root (ENG) [/td][td]75 [/td][td]106 [/td][td]4650 [/td][td]47.44 [/td][td]59.58 [/td][td]13 [/td][td]19 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]V Kohli (INDIA) [/td][td]101 [/td][td]113 [/td][td]4661 [/td][td]46.61 [/td][td]77.87 [/td][td]7 [/td][td]35 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]HE van der Dussen (SA) [/td][td]82 [/td][td]85 [/td][td]3053 [/td][td]46.25 [/td][td]72.62 [/td][td]2 [/td][td]22 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]RG Sharma (INDIA) [/td][td]90 [/td][td]101 [/td][td]4457 [/td][td]45.94 [/td][td]80.72 [/td][td]13 [/td][td]22 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Mohammad Rizwan (PAK) [/td][td]86 [/td][td]86 [/td][td]3092 [/td][td]45.47 [/td][td]80.1 [/td][td]5 [/td][td]21 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Q de Kock (SA) [/td][td]75 [/td][td]89 [/td][td]3808 [/td][td]45.33 [/td][td]93.74 [/td][td]7 [/td][td]29 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]FDM Karunaratne (SL) [/td][td]37 [/td][td]55 [/td][td]2303 [/td][td]43.45 [/td][td]56.62 [/td][td]6 [/td][td]11 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]TWM Latham (NZ) [/td][td]57 [/td][td]67 [/td][td]2500 [/td][td]43.1 [/td][td]59.12 [/td][td]6 [/td][td]13 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]KL Rahul (INDIA) [/td][td]70 [/td][td]78 [/td][td]3017 [/td][td]41.9 [/td][td]80.11 [/td][td]6 [/td][td]22 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]BA Stokes (ENG) [/td][td]67 [/td][td]87 [/td][td]3213 [/td][td]41.72 [/td][td]65.29 [/td][td]5 [/td][td]18 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Tamim Iqbal (BAN) [/td][td]51 [/td][td]59 [/td][td]2320 [/td][td]41.42 [/td][td]80.55 [/td][td]4 [/td][td]15 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]LRPL Taylor (NZ) [/td][td]69 [/td][td]81 [/td][td]2776 [/td][td]40.82 [/td][td]75.06 [/td][td]4 [/td][td]15 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]PR Stirling (IRE) [/td][td]88 [/td][td]89 [/td][td]3372 [/td][td]40.14 [/td][td]98.13 [/td][td]6 [/td][td]22 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]AJ Finch (AUS) [/td][td]78 [/td][td]78 [/td][td]2915 [/td][td]39.93 [/td][td]98.21 [/td][td]6 [/td][td]18 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Mushfiqur Rahim (BAN) [/td][td]72 [/td][td]81 [/td][td]2634 [/td][td]38.17 [/td][td]68.71 [/td][td]3 [/td][td]17 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]SD Hope (WI) [/td][td]67 [/td][td]76 [/td][td]2593 [/td][td]36.52 [/td][td]67.98 [/td][td]6 [/td][td]15 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]HM Nicholls (NZ) [/td][td]54 [/td][td]64 [/td][td]2123 [/td][td]35.98 [/td][td]60.12 [/td][td]5 [/td][td]10 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]RR Pant (INDIA) [/td][td]76 [/td][td]85 [/td][td]2583 [/td][td]35.38 [/td][td]86.01 [/td][td]3 [/td][td]14 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]JC Buttler (ENG) [/td][td]77 [/td][td]96 [/td][td]2939 [/td][td]34.98 [/td][td]73.67 [/td][td]5 [/td][td]16 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]JJ Roy (ENG) [/td][td]59 [/td][td]60 [/td][td]2012 [/td][td]34.1 [/td][td]112.33 [/td][td]3 [/td][td]13 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Liton Das (BAN) [/td][td]77 [/td][td]89 [/td][td]2864 [/td][td]33.69 [/td][td]76.8 [/td][td]6 [/td][td]14 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]T Bavuma (SA) [/td][td]57 [/td][td]71 [/td][td]2120 [/td][td]33.65 [/td][td]63.93 [/td][td]1 [/td][td]10 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]JM Bairstow (ENG) [/td][td]94 [/td][td]110 [/td][td]3380 [/td][td]33.46 [/td][td]81.97 [/td][td]7 [/td][td]15 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]N Pooran (WI) [/td][td]86 [/td][td]76 [/td][td]2166 [/td][td]33.32 [/td][td]110.39 [/td][td]1 [/td][td]15 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]MJ Guptill (NZ) [/td][td]67 [/td][td]65 [/td][td]2093 [/td][td]33.22 [/td][td]114.87 [/td][td]4 [/td][td]9 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Mahmudullah (BAN) [/td][td]84 [/td][td]85 [/td][td]2183 [/td][td]33.07 [/td][td]81.18 [/td][td]2 [/td][td]9 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]A Balbirnie (IRE) [/td][td]88 [/td][td]88 [/td][td]2673 [/td][td]32.59 [/td][td]96.22 [/td][td]5 [/td][td]12 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]MDKJ Perera (SL) [/td][td]59 [/td][td]65 [/td][td]2014 [/td][td]32.48 [/td][td]91.92 [/td][td]4 [/td][td]10 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]DM de Silva (SL) [/td][td]62 [/td][td]72 [/td][td]2001 [/td][td]32.27 [/td][td]64.48 [/td][td]4 [/td][td]8 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]AK Markram (SA) [/td][td]60 [/td][td]70 [/td][td]2001 [/td][td]31.26 [/td][td]73.78 [/td][td]1 [/td][td]14 [/td][/tr]
[/table]

 

[Hextro]

After a fill in the boots series Babar's avg crossed 45. Babar us about to be 28. When will his peak come?

"Babar is about to be 28"

Babar is 27y 203d, how is that about to be 28?

 

[Mesozoic]

How is saying that a player that's yet to reach his peak will likely average over 50? Kohli is over the hill.

"Will likely".

Yeah well hype to be the best batsman in the world when he actually does. Not based on some random wishful assumptions. Bottom line is this... Babar azam is certainly not as good a Test batsman that you and a few others think he is. He's basically at Ajinkya Rahane 2015 level as of now.

Of course, that doesn't imply he won't end up averaging 50+ with 25 hundreds at the end of his career. But that discussion's for another day.

 

[Hextro]

"Will likely".

Yeah well hype to be the best batsman in the world when he actually does. Not based on some random wishful assumptions. Bottom line is this... Babar azam is certainly not as good a Test batsman that you and a few others think he is. He's basically at Ajinkya Rahane 2015 level as of now.

Of course, that doesn't imply he won't end up averaging 50+ with 25 hundreds at the end of his career. But that discussion's for another day.

Since 2018 Babar has an average of 56.57 in test matches. Babar averaging over 50 in test cricket by the time he retires is more likely to happen than KL Rahul averaging over 40 in test cricket by the time he retires.

Even if Babar gets unlucky and doesn't end his test career with an average of over 50 I'm sure he will gladly join Kohli as a sub 50 averaging batsman and be considered a decent test batsman, not everyone can be great in test cricket but luckily for Babar he has the perfect opportunity to be a great test batsman.

 

[Mesozoic]

He is not as lucky as some of our superstars who gets to regularly play at home tracks and improve their overall stats and have reached an avg of 50 somewhere in their careers. This is a fact which most of our fans try to ignore deliberately and take it for granted.

Peak PP logic strikes again.

On one hand you guys try desperately to convince everyone that every Indian test match wicket is a rank turner that turns square from ball 1 and them being "unsportive" with part timers picking up 5-fers...

And on the other hand you want to believe that Indian batsmen get to inflate their stats and Babar too would average 50+ by playing on these type of "home' wickets , ignoring the fact that he's a an average player of spin bowling.

Had Babar played his home games on Indian wickets, his avg wouldn't even cross 35 lol.

You can't even make this up.

 

[Mesozoic]

Since 2018 Babar has an average of 56.57 in test matches. Babar averaging over 50 in test cricket by the time he retires is more likely to happen than KL Rahul averaging over 40 in test cricket by the time he retires.

And that's fine. Babar is much better than Rahul. Nothing to debate here. But Rahul may end up playing more impactful knocks like Lords and Centurion. And looking at your previous posts, I thought you preferred match winning knocks over match drawing knocks. So I'm a bit confused here....

Even if Babar gets unlucky and doesn't end his test career with an average of over 50 I'm sure he will gladly join Kohli as a sub 50 averaging batsman and be considered a decent test batsman, not everyone can be great in test cricket but luckily for Babar he has the perfect opportunity to be a great test batsman.

Fair enough.

 

[Hextro]

And that's fine. Babar is much better than Rahul. Nothing to debate here. But Rahul may end up playing more impactful knocks like Lords and Centurion. And looking at your previous posts, I thought you preferred match winning knocks over match drawing knocks. So I'm a bit confused here....




Fair enough.

I think you are referring to this comment of mine that started this whole SENA discussion.

"Kohli has 1 match winning hundred away vs a sena team in his career. Kohli isn't the benchmark for test cricket."

I still stand by this comment. You can't be the benchmark of cricket if you fail in this very important parameter but that doesn't mean that Kholi isn't a good batsman all it means is that Kohli definitely isn't "the benchmark for test cricket". There are plenty of other parameters where Kholi excels, but to be the benchmark of anything you have to be revolutionary in one aspect or if not revolutionary just be good at every parameter.

Coming back to the original topic of this thread, here are Babar's stats in every format pre and post 2019:

Test Matches pre 2019:

Innings - 36, Average - 35.19, Runs - 1091

Test Matches post 2019:

Innings - 35, Average - 56.77, Runs - 1760

ODIs pre 2019:

Innings - 52, Average - 51.52, Strike Rate - 84.77, Runs - 2267

ODIs post 2019:

Innings - 32, Average - 71.21, Strike Rate - 97.50, Runs - 1994

T20I pre 2019:

Innings - 26, Average - 54.26, Strike Rate - 124.36, Runs - 1031

T20I post 2019:

Innings - 43, Average - 41.37, Strike Rate - 132.82, Runs - 1655

 

[Mesozoic]

I think you are referring to this comment of mine that started this whole SENA discussion.

"Kohli has 1 match winning hundred away vs a sena team in his career. Kohli isn't the benchmark for test cricket."

I still stand by this comment. You can't be the benchmark of cricket if you fail in this very important parameter but that doesn't mean that Kholi isn't a good batsman all it means is that Kohli definitely isn't "the benchmark for test cricket". There are plenty of other parameters where Kholi excels, but to be the benchmark of anything you have to be revolutionary in one aspect or if not revolutionary just be good at every parameter.

You've completely dodged my point. It had nothing to do with Kohli.

Earlier in this thread, you said you'd prefer a match drawing knock over a knock in a loss. So by that logic, won't you prefer a KL Rahul who has two match winning hundreds in SENA in a span of 5 months over a Babar Azam who has none in his entire career? I mean thats the parameter you've set to reject Karunaratne for Babar. Doesn't the same apply for Babar?

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

I was talking about Babar not playing enough matches at his real home which would have taken his average to 50 pretty quickly. You on the other hand are going on a completely different.

If you want an answer to your question then kindly go through the following stats first and look at Neutral Venue stats.

Babar Azam :
Real Home avg : 83 (only played 8 matches out of 40)
Away Avg : 37 (24 matches)
Neutral Venue : 40 (8 matches)

Kohli :
Home avg : 61 (46 matches)
Away avg : 43 (54 matches)
Neutral Venue : 28 (1 match)

KL Rahul :
Home avg : 44 (14 matches)
Away avg : 32 (29 matches)

This one is for IPL boy. [MENTION=151350]Mesozoic[/MENTION]
Dimuth Karunaratne:
Home avg : 49(31 matches lol)
Away avg : 29.8(40 matches)
Neutral venue : 56 (5 matches)

Playing your home series in England/UAE won't make it your official home. There is a reason ICC counts it as a neutral venue. You are talking about Kohli and Rahane, I actually posted stats of 4 batsman, how about you go through them now? Karun Nair has a triple hundred in India, even Jadeja has triple centuries in domestic cricket, the conditions between India, Pakistan and UAE are completely different. May be you should watch some of the matches from 2005 series in India and observe how Pakistani batsmen used to bat in India.

 

[James]

I have already posted an advisory about personal remarks being unnecessarily included within debates about cricket.

This will be the final warning before sanctions begin to be handed out.

 

[Hextro]

You've completely dodged my point. It had nothing to do with Kohli.

Earlier in this thread, you said you'd prefer a match drawing knock over a knock in a loss. So by that logic, won't you prefer a KL Rahul who has two match winning hundreds in SENA in a span of 5 months over a Babar Azam who has none in his entire career? I mean thats the parameter you've set to reject Karunaratne for Babar. Doesn't the same apply for Babar?

As I said away hundreds in wins vs SENA is a very important parameter but it isn't the only parameter. The one and only thing that puts Rahul below Babar in tests is his absolutely hideous average in away matches vs SEA(Rahul hasn't played vs NZ away yet) of 28.56. When I first looked at Rahul's away average vs SEA I thought I had accidentally clicked on the wrong cricketers' profile and I was looking at a tailender's stats, for comparison Sohail Khan has a batting average of 26.75 vs SENA away. Rahul fails too badly in the batting average department to be considered a good batsman in my eyes.

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Back in the Nets <a href="https://t.co/CD3lHdYwiX">pic.twitter.com/CD3lHdYwiX</a></p>— Babar Azam (@babarazam258) <a href="https://twitter.com/babarazam258/status/1524382714744483840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 11, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[silentkiller187]

India star Dinesh Karthik believes Pakistan captain Babar Azam can become the first player to be ranked as the No.1 batter in all formats of the game.

While Babar already holds top billing in both white-ball formats, he is only ranked fifth and still behind a bevvy of current-day stars in the most recent MRF Tyres ICC rankings for Test batters.

But Karthik can sense that changing soon, with the India veteran predicting on the latest episode of The ICC Review that the Pakistan batter can create history and hold the top ranking in all three formats.

"One-hundred per cent (he is capable of achieving that)," Karthik told Sanjana Ganesan on The ICC Review. "He is a high-quality player who is at the peak of his batting prowess and he has got some Test matches coming up.

"He has been phenomenal in all three formats of the game and he has done well in different batting positions too.

"I wish him all the best and think he has the potential. He has got all the following of Pakistan helping him in abundance to go on and do special things for his country."

Australia batter Marnus Labuschagne is currently ranked first in the Test batting ranks, but it's been the 'Big Four' of India's Virat Kohli, England's Joe Root, Australia's Steve Smith and New Zealand's Kane Williamson that have dominated red-ball cricket for the past decade.

While Babar still has much to do to match the feats of the aforementioned 'Big Four', Karthik thinks it's only a matter of time before the Pakistan right-hander joins the illustrious group.

"It is a very strong ‘Fab Four’ that we are talking about and they have obviously been there for much longer, but there is no doubt that Babar has all the credentials and he is going to make it a 'Fab Five'," Karthik noted.

"There is no doubt he is there or thereabouts ... he is a very special player."

Karthik said he had noticed subtle changes that Babar had made to his batting technique in recent years that has helped him become a better player, and that his timing of the ball is now on par with all modern-day batters.

"The two things that struck me when I watched him bat is his balance and his striking point when he plays a ball,” Karthik explained.

"Whether it is on the front foot or the back foot, his ability to strike the ball more often than not under his eyes, has been phenomenal.

"He strikes the ball at the point where it is optimum power for where the ball is pitched and that makes him a very special player."

Karthik believes Babar will continue to develop further as he learns how to adapt with the different conditions that players face when playing away from home.

"When you play international cricket you have got to keep changing a little bit here and there to keep improving your technique,” he said.

"Sometimes just by one per cent a lot of the time so that so you can go on and achieve success in that particular tour you are on, so I think he has definitely tweaked his technique a bit here and there over a period of time.”

https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/2634825

 

[MenInG]

A few days back, veteran India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik made a huge statement about Babar Azam, saying that the Pakistan captain could well become the No. 1 batter in all three formats. Karthik, who recently earned an India call back after a brilliant season with Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2022, said that Babar would well make the 'Fab 4' - comprising Virat Kohli, Joe Root, Kane Williamson and Steve Smith - a 'Fab 5' he has been so impressive. And, in the time to come, if the Pakistan captain can keep up the same consistency, he would well be the best in the world.

"One-hundred per cent (Babar is capable of achieving that)," Karthik said on The ICC Review. "He is a high-quality player who is at the peak of his batting prowess and he has got some Test matches coming up. He has been phenomenal in all three formats of the game and he has done well in different batting positions too. I wish him all the best and think he has the potential. He has got all the following of Pakistan helping him in abundance to go on and do special things for his country."

Babar has reacted to Karthik's remarks and highlighted the factors that goes into becoming No. 1. A reporter asked Babar, "Cricketers world-wide are in awe of your batting, and Dinesh Karthik has even said that you can become No. 1. Do you think you can get there, and if yes, what are you doing to achieve it?"

In response, Babar, during a press conference, said: "Definitely, as a player it's a dream to become the No. 1 in all formats and for that, you have to focus and put in hard work. It's not like if you are the top player in 1 or 2 formats, you go easy. If you are to become No.1 in all three, you have to keep yourself fit and on track. There is back-to-back cricket and the gap is less. For that, you need to be extra fit. It's something I am preparing for. It's going well in white-ball and hopefully, I will be able to do well in Tests too."

Babar is currently the No. 1-ranked batter in ODIs and T20Is with 891 and 818 points respectively, followed by Virat Kohli at No. 2 (ODIs). In Tests though, Babar is ranked fifth behind Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson and Joe Root.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/cric...ll-three-formats-comment-101654159210215.html

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Babar Azam shatters yet another Virat Kohli world record in latest T20I rankings boost

Babar currently stands atop in white-ball cricket rankings as per the ICC list and is keen to take over the No.1 spot in Test cricket as well.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam's tryst with breaking world records continue as he surpasses former India skipper Virat Kohli to etch his name in history books for a record world record in T20I cricket, a feat he achieved as he continued his dominance at the the top of the charts in ICC T20I rankings.

Babar now owns the record of claiming the top rank in the ICC T20I list for the longest period of time. His tally now stands 1030 days as of June 29, Wednesday. The previous record was held by Kohli, who had dominated the rankings chart for 1013 days in the last decade.

Babar currently stands atop in in white-ball cricket rankings as per the ICC list and is keen to take over the No.1 spot in Test cricket as well.

“As a player it's a dream to become the No. 1 in all formats and, for that, you have to focus and put in hard work. It's not like if you are the top player in one or two formats, you go easy,” Babar had said earlier this month. “If you are to become No.1 in all three, you have to keep yourself fit and on track. There is back-to-back cricket and the gap is less. For that, you need to be extra fit.

“It's something I am preparing for. It's going well in white-ball and hopefully, I will be able to do well in Tests too."

Meanwhile, the rankings chart, released by the ICC on Wednesday, witnessed little change in T20I cricket with India's opening batter Ishan Kishan dropping a spot one place to the seventh position in the list of batters.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/cric...test-t20i-rankings-boost-101656492642205.html

 

[Rana]

That's hatting at Mamoon's level.

Do you still doubt Jonny Bairstow is a better all format batsman than Babar?

 

[Mobashir]

Do you still doubt Jonny Bairstow is a better all format batsman than Babar?

He has now put his hand up. Let's see if he can carry it. Anyway Jhony Bairstow is one of my favorite player in the world.

But when you wrote your comment, he was not even a contender.

 

[Rana]

He has now put his hand up. Let's see if he can carry it. Anyway Jhony Bairstow is one of my favorite player in the world.

But when you wrote your comment, he was not even a contender.

I know this game well. You will see

 

[PakEngFan]

I know this game well. You will see

So well so that you think kamran Ghulam is better then Babar and zeeshan ashraf better then Rizwan lol. Ultimate comic relief.

 

[Firebat]

There's not a better all-format batter on the planet right now.

 

[Rajdeep]

What a batsman

I was just writing an essay about him in another forum. He is the best and most consistent batsman I have ever seen. I don't think even Steve Smith's peak was this consistent. Never expected Pakistan (of all teams) to produce this kind of batting talent and that too from Akmal Family.

Anyone thinks he is not the best batsman in present era is delusional or don't understand cricket.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

World class batsman at his best.

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Babar Azam's average:<br><br>Tests 47.14<br>ODIs 59.22<br>T20Is 45.52<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SLvPAK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SLvPAK</a> <a href="https://t.co/RKNos2lYVl">pic.twitter.com/RKNos2lYVl</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/SajSadiqCricket/status/1548625781106024450?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 17, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Ab Fan]

World class batsman at his best.

Yes he is important to Pakistan's chances in the next ICC tournament as he is their most valuable player.

Although this doesn't mean we should assume that Pakistan will win the ICC tournament next year or are favourites to do so.

 

[Ab Fan]

Alongwith Kohli, de Villiers and Root, he is up there as the best all format batsman in last 15 years of cricket we have seen.

 

[sindhiboy]

without a doubt, the best all format batsmen currently

 

[jnaveen1980]

Babar is nicely developing. This innings is definitely his best innings in his Test career? He has a compact technique which is very impressive.

 

[WhenSultansBowled]

Unlike plethora of hacks we have produced over the past 2 decades, Babar Azam works on his game. He improves series by series. Same as Shaheen

At the similar staged in their careers Ahmed "more talented than Sachin" Shehzad and Umar "coaches ruined my career" Akmal were wasting time.

Babar, otoh, works hard. As simple as that.

I remember when Keshav Maharaj pwned him and all of PP (Me including) were laughing at him.

But now we can safely say, Masha'Allah, there is no apparent weakness in his game.

Pakistan must play enough cricket now and he will break all the records! Insha'Allah.

 

[Cricfan4eva]

Babar is such a fine batsman to watch.

In a way he seems naturally gifted like Rohit but also has the finesse of Kohli.

IMO he's easily the best Test-ODI batsman currently.

He racks up runs in T20Is no doubt. But he can claim top spot there too if he plays an innings like Kohli did against Aus in 2016 WT20. Just need to see him go all out - to show he has that game too.

 

[MenInG]