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[VIDEOS] Is it time to start thinking about dropping Babar Azam?

MenInG

MenInG

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This is record in Tests against Australia, in Australia. But if look beyond this series, is it time to start thinking of a replacement for Babar Azam in all formats?

If not in all, then in which formats?

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Not really a T20 player

Has not been up to the mark as an ODI player recently

Is struggling in Test cricket also against quality opposition

Don’t understand where this guy is heading right now.
 
Babar has failed to be the rock that we need in our top order.

This is the biggest concern and needs to be addressed with him.

If he cannot recover, then a suitable replacement like Huraira in Tests should be looked at (on top of my head)
 
What’s the purpose of Kamran Ghulam’s existence?

Is it to just look like the best and mature middle order batsman in the domestic circuit, whilst never ever being considered good enough for international cricket?
 
Should definitely drop him from all formats. He is extremely average in all formats vs quality opposition.
 
I think the name in this thread title should be replaced to Shaheen. That is a much more clear and obvious conversation where the answer would be an emphatic yes in red ball cricket.

As for Babar he is the least hopeless batter in Australian conditions in a team full of hopeless batters in Aussie conditions. If you talk about dropping him what the actual hell do you do about the rest of the outfit who have been even less convincing.

Sure he isn't standing up and fighting off onslaughts when we're under the pump. But in that long batting line up the rest of the team showed very little resistance either in both innings. Are we going to just attribute the middle to lower orders own failure on Babar's failure?

Every batter needs to take their own responsibility and apply themselves out there with patience and understanding of how to adapt to those conditions. This is what Pakistan never do with the bat in Australia.
 
hass said:
I think the name in this thread title should be replaced to Shaheen. That is a much more clear and obvious conversation where the answer would be an emphatic yes in red ball cricket.

As for Babar he is the least hopeless batter in Australian conditions in a team full of hopeless batters in Aussie conditions. If you talk about dropping him what the actual hell do you do about the rest of the outfit who have been even less convincing.

Sure he isn't standing up and fighting off onslaughts when we're under the pump. But in that long batting line up the rest of the team showed very little resistance either in both innings. Are we going to just attribute the middle to lower orders own failure on Babar's failure?

Every batter needs to take their own responsibility and apply themselves out there with patience and understanding of how to adapt to those conditions. This is what Pakistan never do with the bat in Australia.
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Shaheen thread is there.
 
Babar can’t be dropped, he’s simply going through that lean patch that Kohli went through but unlike Kholi who is a consummate professional and who is known to meticulous study his weaknesses, Babar is born into a culture that promotes mediocrity and superficial stats - for that reason, Babar’s ability to improve his game will face steep challenges. Kohli could also afford to fail knowing that the remaining batsmen can get the job. Babar does not have that luxury.

Beyond Babar, Pakistan has serious issues plaguing its cricket. Even a full firing Babar & Shaheen can’t address the gaping holes that exist in Pakistan cricket. The advent of T20 has been the deathknel of Pakistan cricket. Apart from bits and pieces T20 mercenaries, there’s nothing else coming through.

To save the prestige of Test Cricket, the ICC should limit it to Australia, India, England, South Africa & New Zealand.

The rest are a waste of time.
 
Too early to make a big call like that.
Good players are always one or two innings away from getting back into the form.
However in case of Babar, fans need to accept that he may not be as good as the players he has been compared to.

Bench strength also doesn't give too much confidence and Babar still seems the best batsman Pak has as of now.
 
Thanos said:
Too early to make a big call like that.
Good players are always one or two innings away from getting back into the form.
However in case of Babar, fans need to accept that he may not be as good as the players he has been compared to.

Bench strength also doesn't give too much confidence and Babar still seems the best batsman Pak has as of now.
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Think below is your answer for bench strength

Rana said:
What’s the purpose of Kamran Ghulam’s existence?

Is it to just look like the best and mature middle order batsman in the domestic circuit, whilst never ever being considered good enough for international cricket?
Click to expand...
 
Dropping your best batsman?? That's ridiculous. Cricket is a team game. Yes he's had a lean patch but every player has one. You pick shan masood and make him captain?? Based on what? And drop babar azam? Drop the one genuine batsman in your line up. You need to drop shan masood, imam, faheem before even thinking of babar azam. And the new batsman coming in will be bradman yeah right..
 
Dropping Babar would be deliberately shooting oneself in the foot.

The mere name presence of him being in the side, gives the team some credibility and demands respect from the opposition.
 
Babar will earn some leeway. Shaheen on the other hand needs a big kick up the back side and that means being benched. Bowling at 128-130 km/hr in Perth is unacceptable
 
Babar and Rizwan both should be dropped from T20Is, there is no question or doubt about that in my mind about it.

On the other hand, in tests, Babar should be given the whole series and if he fails to perform then he should be shifted to the bench. But that also means that player like Shan, Saud, Abdullah need to perform. We cannot single out one player.
 
MenInG said:
This is record in Tests against Australia, in Australia. But if look beyond this series, is it time to start thinking of a replacement for Babar Azam in all formats?

If not in all, then in which formats?

GIULVx8.png
Click to expand...

Nah, he is not fit to play T20, but why will you replace him in test or ODI. It's not as if Pakistan has better options.
 
its a matter of time before babar gets back into half decent nick. I agree with the posters saying this is a knee jerk reaction, Pakistan simply do not have the bench strength to be in a position to drop a player like babar so quickly, only for others to fail on the foot of such high expectations and then the calls to bring babar back start again.
 
On wickets with not much bounce he is still Pakistan's best bet. Australia is generally a good place to bat on.
 
Can start to think after the series. You will have more ammunition if he doesn't perform.
 
MenInG said:
Think below is your answer for bench strength
Click to expand...
If Kamran is good, he can play in the team without Babar being dropped. I believe the line up is full of batters who are failing and can make way for Kamran or any other new talent.

Babar has earned some leeway. However if he fails in remaining 2 tests, he should take a break for few days (not benched) and come back with fresh mind.
 
His brand builders won't let that happen. They want to create a brand out of Babar Azam. I see bots all over twitter hyping his past stats whenever he fails. These bots always try to make him look like a victim. I am not sure he has that charisma that imran or wasim had to build a brand. There is no aura about him at any level. He is no Usain Bolt, Virat Kohli. Virat kohli Brand was achieved through his personal life style changes and dominating batting style, in-your face aggressive onfield captaincy. Babar lacks most of it.
 
Have heard rumours of babar not being in the NZ t20 squad so lets see
 
Perfect example of knee jerk reaction .Babar Azam is quality Player but right now he is not in good form which basically part of any great players career. Kohli was out of form for around 3 year
 
Devadwal said:
Perfect example of knee jerk reaction .Babar Azam is quality Player but right now he is not in good form which basically part of any great players career. Kohli was out of form for around 3 year
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He is still their best bet as others are not good enough. Pakistan needs a new superstar definitely in the batting department especially overseas.
 
Galla said:
Have heard rumours of babar not being in the NZ t20 squad so lets see
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He shouldn’t be. We need to learn from the failures of 2023 and that means the big boys don’t play every series against every C team that comes our way.

Babar is struggling with something but he’ll come good. Form is temporary.

I would rotate him but dropping isn’t the right word for a batsman of his calibre.
 
Galla said:
Have heard rumours of babar not being in the NZ t20 squad so lets see
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Na I heard Hafeez bricked it and wants both Babar and Rizwan in the squad. Losing 3-0 to Australia and then losing 5-0 to NZ could mean Hafeez will lose his job and credibility.

I hope Pakistan lose 5-0 with Rizwan and Babar in the side anyways
 
Rana said:
Na I heard Hafeez bricked it and wants both Babar and Rizwan in the squad. Losing 3-0 to Australia and then losing 5-0 to NZ could mean Hafeez will lose his job and credibility.

I hope Pakistan lose 5-0 with Rizwan and Babar in the side anyways
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I should say, “I hope SayaCorpsistan loses 5-0”
 
hitthestump said:
He shouldn’t be. We need to learn from the failures of 2023 and that means the big boys don’t play every series against every C team that comes our way.

Babar is struggling with something but he’ll come good. Form is temporary.

I would rotate him but dropping isn’t the right word for a batsman of his calibre.
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What’s his caliber? Brian Lara, Tendulkar and Viv Richards combined into one?
 
Babar was on top of the world when Pakistan beat SL in tests earlier this year. Rameez apparently wanted to marry him. Naseem & Shaheen were also looking good.

Following the victory Babar & Naseem decided to be part of the low quality LPL, Shaheen flew to UK to play the pointless The Hundred, and that was the start of the downfall.

Our players dont understand the terms preparation & rest.
 
Perth is not a place to judge batsman. He is still the best batsman for Pakistan.
 
For a side that has Shan, Imam and Sarfraz (in SENA) in top 6, dropping Babar should be the least of the concerns.
Babar does need a kick up the backside and some tough love about being not good enough in last 1 year or so.
 
Bewal Express said:
Let's drop the only batsman we have produced in the last 20 years.
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The only batsman that performed worse than other non batsmen in the last 4 tournaments T20s and ODIs I wonder how long before we produce another big game big tournament batsman like this.

His performances in T20s in tournaments have been awful recently even a random player being picked would have done better but expect him to open the innings again.
 
Cric1234 said:
The only batsman that performed worse than other non batsmen in the last 4 tournaments T20s and ODIs I wonder how long before we produce another big game big tournament batsman like this.

His performances in T20s in tournaments have been awful recently even a random player being picked would have done better but expect him to open the innings again.
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So you want him dropped. Brilliant. Let's do it.
 
How can one even think about dropping Babar.

Like you have Sarfraz, Faheem, Salman Agha, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood.

If players are to be dropped as of today, than there is a pecking order that needs to be followed. Babar wont be the first one to be dopped, you would first have to drop atleast 4-5 players
 
Bewal Express said:
So you want him dropped. Brilliant. Let's do it.
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Have you had a look at his stats in the last World T20 and Asia Cup any reason why he should continue opening the batting after such performances in T20s.

Test cricket is different he’s good enough to keep his place but in T20s if he opens in the next world cup and fails to perform then we know the selectors have totally ignore do his previous performances.
 
If you want to drop him a format it should be t20 definitely should not he dropped in tests yet.
 
Cric1234 said:
Have you had a look at his stats in the last World T20 and Asia Cup any reason why he should continue opening the batting after such performances in T20s.

Test cricket is different he’s good enough to keep his place but in T20s if he opens in the next world cup and fails to perform then we know the selectors have totally ignore do his previous performances.
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Class is permanent, form is temporary. If you think PK will be better without Babar then I am not sure what to say to you.
 
Cric1234 said:
Have you had a look at his stats in the last World T20 and Asia Cup any reason why he should continue opening the batting after such performances in T20s.

Test cricket is different he’s good enough to keep his place but in T20s if he opens in the next world cup and fails to perform then we know the selectors have totally ignore do his previous performances.
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Even if Babar scores 40 runs per match, he would still retire as a legend

His world cup wasnt bad
 
Why is there no thread on Zaka Ashraf's recent leaked audio call that is trending on twitter right now? @mods
 
BunnyRabbit said:
Why is there no thread on Zaka Ashraf's recent leaked audio call that is trending on twitter right now? @mods
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Thread is right on first page of CF

[AUDIO] Unconfirmed audio leak: Zaka Ashraf complaining about undue influence on selection by external parties

This is the audio leak doing the rounds on Twitter. For those of you not following the selection news going around, Zaka Ashraf had a meeting and was willing to drop Mohammad Rizwan and bring in Azam Khan. They also talked about dropping Babar Azam aswell. Thing is, this whole saya...
ppforum.pakpassion.net ppforum.pakpassion.net
 
He's not the great player his fans think he is but dropping him for whom? You'll have to drop Imam, Masood etc. before even thinking of dropping your best batsman.
 
no not at all that would be injustice to Pakistan cricket

we have 3 tough tours coming Australia in Australia, New Zealand in New Zealand and England in England

its easy to bash c teams on flat decks of Pakistan and to score runs vs minnow level teams

lets see what this "best batsmen in the world" can do vs top teams away in their grounds

if he succeeds I will rate him forever,

can't drop him and let him chicken out
 
I'd be dropping Imam, Shan, Sarfaraz, Agha before I thought about Babar
 
From Babar Azam vs Virat Kohli to this ? How did we get here so soon ?

Surely its not like the other 6 batsmen in the Pak team are Bradman , Richards , Tendulkar , Lara , Ponting , Inzimam , are they ?
 
Is Anybody thinking about dropping him? you gotta think more than that. He should not be dropped as we have no Bradman available to replace him.
 
Babar Fails yet again. Cleaned by Pat Cummins. Has he become a bunny of Cummins now?
 
Why not take a break Babar.

Go to NCA, spend hours upon hours with coaches.

Then go to domestic cricket, get yourself in the right groove then comeback.

If he doesn't do it, maybe some of our top leaders in PCB can do this for him.
 
While speaking to the press after Day 2 of 2nd Test against Australia, Abdullah Shafique said about Babar Azam:

"All the boys are practicing and trying so we feel fully prepared. Unfortunately sometimes you can’t deliver on the day which is a part of test cricket. For example, Babar Azam who is our best batter – seeing him in the nets, he seems in very good rhythm. Today he couldn’t perform, but hopefully in the subsequent innings he will do well."
 
Guy needs to lose weight and get fit. His poor fitness has affected his footwork
 
Throughout the five Test matches played by Pakistan in 2023, including the ongoing one, Babar's batting form has been quite disappointing. His scores have consistently remained low, and his highest score was only 39 against Sri Lanka. He really needs to up his game for the team's sake.
 
Batsmen lose form sometimes. It’s not a big deal.

But that being said Babar has never been anything more than a decent test player.

In the years his career has spanned he has never stamped his authority on this format.

In a more talented country his position may be under threat from a young up and comer. But this is Pakistan so Babar’s position is as secure as houses.

The only way this changes is if Babar starts producing a Fakhar Zaman-esqe phone number type of scores.
 
hitthestump said:
Batsmen lose form sometimes. It’s not a big deal.

But that being said Babar has never been anything more than a decent test player.

In the years his career has spanned he has never stamped his authority on this format.

In a more talented country his position may be under threat from a young up and comer. But this is Pakistan so Babar’s position is as secure as houses.

The only way this changes is if Babar starts producing a Fakhar Zaman-esqe phone number type of scores.
Click to expand...

This is a pretty bad year for him - something needs to give.
 
He shouldn’t be playing the T20 series v NZ. Not because he is a poor T20 batsman anyways, more because he needs to get away and clear his head. Lose some weight too whilst your at it. Taking his stats and future ATG status for granted
 
Babar shaheen need to get some time off the field. I d rest babar for t20s and rest shaheen even from the next test match.
 
In T20I’s, yes.

In the other two formats, certainly not. He is vastly overrated by a large portion of PCT fans (he’s nowhere near the likes of Kohli, Smith, Rohit etc) but is still a quality batsman in the longer formats, relative to the standard of batsmen we have produced throughout the 21st century.
 
Arzy8 said:
In T20I’s, yes.

In the other two formats, certainly not. He is vastly overrated by a large portion of PCT fans (he’s nowhere near the likes of Kohli, Smith, Rohit etc) but is still a quality batsman in the longer formats, relative to the standard of batsmen we have produced throughout the 21st century.
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There was a time when high quality batsmen wanted nothing to do with T20 and simply focus on creating their legacy in Test and ODI.

Times have changed. Babar needs T20 to tell everyone that he too has 20k+ international runs like Inzimam and Miandad
 
He’s not even been that bad. He’s failed in only 5 tests in a row. Sure he’s been below par for him in ODIs and T20s but still put up better numbers than most players in the team.

Players go through loss of form. I’m not too worried, he’s still the best batsman in the team.
 
To be honest Babar's batting is declining gradually in all formats not only in tests. At this stage of career he should have been at peak and must be winning tournaments or at least matches but he is playing irresponsibly, his shot selection is poor considering the amount of non-stop cricket he has played. His continuous flop show in all WCs, big tournaments & series is a matter of concern. It would be better if he takes break from all forms of cricket for at least 6 months and play domestic or county cricket and work on his batting. He is not considered threat anymore by any team
 
ads101 said:
He’s not even been that bad. He’s failed in only 5 tests in a row. Sure he’s been below par for him in ODIs and T20s but still put up better numbers than most players in the team.

Players go through loss of form. I’m not too worried, he’s still the best batsman in the team.
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99% of the fans are disagreeing with everything you just said.

Looks like you're one of those who just likes being the one who sticks out.
 
LegendAli said:
99% of the fans are disagreeing with everything you just said.

Looks like you're one of those who just likes being the one who sticks out.
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I’m sure a lot of fans don’t want Babar Azam dropped. Feels ridiculous to drop him tbh.
 
Sadly we have reached a point where we won't be worse off if we drop Babar from ANY format.
 
Marooned said:
Sadly we have reached a point where we won't be worse off if we drop Babar from ANY format.
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Lol I remember when his supporters kept protecting him by saying ‘we have no Viv Richards and Bradmans waiting on the bench’
 
ads101 said:
I’m sure a lot of fans don’t want Babar Azam dropped. Feels ridiculous to drop him tbh.
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Emotional Babar's fans wants permanent position for him forever but real Pakistan fans understands that Babar since last 1-2 years has not added any value to the team. Has he won any match against big team on big occasion?? The answer is NO
I don't hate him but for team's sake and his own improvement he should be dropped. Believe me team's performance will only improve without him. Ramiz Raja has made him Don Bradman otherwise Babar himself knows what he is
 
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Savak said:
Guy needs to lose weight and get fit. His poor fitness has affected his footwork
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He has no muscle whatsoever despite several gym photos on Instagram. I’m very surprised.

You have a history of working out - what’s the cause here? Even teenagers who hit the gym for a few months have more progress. And I won’t buy for a moment that he doesn’t hit the gym enough.

At the moment, his body looks like he has never even looked at the gym or weights even though we both know that’s not the case.
 
Rana said:
He shouldn’t be playing the T20 series v NZ. Not because he is a poor T20 batsman anyways, more because he needs to get away and clear his head. Lose some weight too whilst you’re at it. Taking his stats and future ATG status for granted
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Lose some weight? Man, he already looks underweight. He has no shoulders to speak of, his arms are tiny, his wrists look fragile and his legs looks like twigs.

Yes, he does carry some extra fat around his abdomen but overall, he needs to gain weight and most of it needs to be muscle. He looks like he’s never seen the gym in his life and I don’t understand why he looks like that.
 
I've been saying again and again its not form, Pakistani players get big headed after bit of fame and money
focus is all on social media. good players keep improving their game that is not the case with Babar an co. few good innings at the beginning of their careers and they think they have achieved it all and stop working on their game. babar shaheen shadab imam rizwan all need to go now until they inprove their game and get selected again based on perfomance but they have decome demi gods in Pakistan. its going to be hards to get rid of this culture
 
MenInG said:
Why not take a break Babar.

Go to NCA, spend hours upon hours with coaches.

Then go to domestic cricket, get yourself in the right groove then comeback.

If he doesn't do it, maybe some of our top leaders in PCB can do this for him.
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He already has for a break for this test series but it would have been refused.
 
ExpressPacer said:
Lose some weight? Man, he already looks underweight. He has no shoulders to speak of, his arms are tiny, his wrists look fragile and his legs looks like twigs.

Yes, he does carry some extra fat around his abdomen but overall, he needs to gain weight and most of it needs to be muscle. He looks like he’s never seen the gym in his life and I don’t understand why he looks like that.
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It’s mainly his genetics, you can see the same with Umar and Kamran Akmal. It’s clear these guys struggle to stay lean once they get close to 30.

Babar is always in restaurants on his days off, he can eat all he wants once his career is done…not sure why he lives the lifestyle of an average Joe and not that of a top tier sportsman when it comes to food
 
Needs to be dropped.

This is what captaincy does to players like Babar and Sarfraz. They stop caring about their fitness and they become complacent about their place in the side.
 
Pat Cummins on his ball to Babar Azam:

"It's a dream ball – that's what you try and bowl most balls, but it's rare that it comes off. Really happy with that one. That wasn't a deliberate ball to seam in. That's 50-50, whether it's going to seam in or out. I try and create a bit of an angle, and if I don't know what it's doing, hopefully the batter doesn't know either. Swing is a bit more predictable – the batter sees it a bit earlier and the margins are a bit smaller. I try and swing the odd one but it's rare – most of the time, I'm trying to get a bit of seam off the wicket."
 
Babar should ask for a rest from a pointless bilateral series against a B string side.

Oh wait…that’s the kind of series he lives for!
 
shamaan said:
He already has for a break for this test series but it would have been refused.
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This is hilarious. No. 1 batsman asking for a break when the most high profile series is being played. When you perform in Aus & Eng your greatness is acknowledged all over the world. Hope he had asked for a break during Afghanistan series which was played few months back and he shouldn't have played all the games of every random series
 
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