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

Babar needs to be dropped if he doesnt perform in second innings. He needs to score at least a 100. Saud shakeel also needs to be warned. Agha is useless if we are playing outside Pakistan. He cannot play pace at all.
 
zaidihusain said:
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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When PCB rested him and rizwan in the afghanistan series, they ran a PR campaign against PCB and threw their toys out of the pram.
 
emranabbas said:
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
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Lack of education and low IQ. Honestly, i was a big critique of Shan but seeing his intent and captaincy, i can see why having education is so important!
 
Babar doesn't seem to be in right state of mind. His mental toughness will continue to be tested till he comes out of this phase. Hopefully he overcomes it.
 
PakFan2010 said:
Babar has been exposed.
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That’s incorrect

There were plenty of sane people who could see the writing on the wall in the past couple of years. It’s his delusional supporters and protectors that are now snapping out of the trance he had them under
 
By no means should he be dropped.

First real bad patch he's had.
Needs backing from management and the team and additionally needs to work on his mental toughness.

It's a good test for Babar. Lets see how he goes..
 
He’s in a horrible patch of form across formats. Happens to everyone - including world class batsmen.

Hope he finds form soon.
 
Ali T said:
By no means should he be dropped.

First real bad patch he's had.
Needs backing from management and the team and additionally needs to work on his mental toughness.

It's a good test for Babar. Lets see how he goes..
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Lot of things not going in his way. He couldn't become a sharp fielder in 7 years of international cricket , couldn't maintain his body shape and now looks like an average batter.

Compared to Kohli who also had a rough phase for almost 3 years but he was right upto there in other aspects as an athlete.

Babar's casual approach will haunt him big time. He needs to put some more efforts to sort out whatever issues he has before he is written off and he has very little time left tbh.
 
Will definitely perform vs NZ.

Must be looking forward to that series.
 
Nobody should be un-droppable. If someone is not performing, he should be dropped.

But, it hasn't reached that stage yet for Babar. He should be persisted with for now.

Form is temporary. Class is permanent.
 
FWIW babar is still in the top 6 batsmen in pak cricket. Needs a break for sure. But to drop him- that's just ridiculous. The pak fan emotions are taking over here. And let him be him. Unfair to him being compared to kohli Smith etc due to the pak fan expectations. He should return back as a rejuvenated batsman once he gets a mental break from the non stop grind of playing continuously
 
A lot of talk about how his batting form would improve without the pressures of captaincy. We haven't seen it yet. But then again, he has only played 5 tests this year which is shocking. I'm sure he will get back to top form again soon.
 
Asad T said:
A lot of talk about how his batting form would improve without the pressures of captaincy. We haven't seen it yet. But then again, he has only played 5 tests this year which is shocking. I'm sure he will get back to top form again soon.
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From what I have seen of babar the past few years when he was captain- don't think his batting was ever affected due to the pressure of captaincy. Different issue that his captaincy was run of the mill- not great but not Terrible either. Perfectly serviceable is the term. Believe the pak fans expected him to be a great captain because he is a very good batsman.
 
deltexas said:
From what I have seen of babar the past few years when he was captain- don't think his batting was ever affected due to the pressure of captaincy. Different issue that his captaincy was run of the mill- not great but not Terrible either. Perfectly serviceable is the term. Believe the pak fans expected him to be a great captain because he is a very good batsman.
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Yes his batting averages are higher as captain vs when he is not a captain. But I think since Asia Cup 2023 till WC 2023, the pressure from the media, the PCB, and team infighting has been relentless. And I think at that point the pressure started to take a toll on his batting. Mickey Arthur even said so himself in his interview with Saj.

And yes, he was a very average captain but that's a story for another thread.
 
Even though his performances have been hugely disappointing this year and he has failed to live upto the hype he had garnered over the last couple years, I think people are being a bit harsh about his failures in Australia so far.

He got two brute of deliveries from Cummins; they were good enough to get anyone out. Sometimes, the bad patch is escalated by the quality of the opposition.

Only disappointing dismissal was against Marsh, he should have been able to keep that one out. It was a good delivery but still wide enough to be left alone. That was his chance to get a big one as he was well set.

Let's wait till the end of the series. Even though I am almost resigned to the fact that he probably would never be able to scale the heights he once threatened to scale, still there is a faint hope that he can somehow get stuck in there and achieve something substantial.

The rest of this series plus the tour of SA is probably his final chance to enhance his legacy.
 
He better turn up next innings. Pakistan will be chasing around 250

This guy has the chance of a lifetime to redeem himself
 
Rana said:
He better turn up next innings. Pakistan will be chasing around 250
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Man you are getting way too cocky way too soon. Smith is still there, Marsh/Carey love to feast on minnow attacks. I don't have that much confidence on the trundlers trio. No doubt, so far they have been outstanding, but are they determined enough to finish the job they set up?
Rana said:
This guy has the chance of a lifetime to redeem himself
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Rana said:
Kamran Ghulam? Is he a Martian or he can bat?
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why was he not given a chance when he was in the squad? Babar can be rested for sure but dropping him will be the worst call ever.
 
Josh Hazlewood seems to have a knack for dismissing Babar Azam in Tests played in Australia, having gotten him out of 6 times. It's become a notable pattern whenever these two face off on Australian soil.

While chasing in the second innings of the second test, Babar has to be careful of Hazlewood.
 
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Mark Waugh, on comms suggests that Babar needs to work on his technique, specifically moving his feet closer to the pitch of the ball. He does look vulnerable there. I do remember Broad saying in an interview that he looks to nip it into Babar as well. So clearly, this is not a new issue.

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But it does look like he's working on it, tightening his stance.

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Babar is the key here. He can score big here and save this test match for his team. All speculations of him being dropped will die soon.
 
Again that gap between bat and pad was used brilliantly by Hazlewood and cleaned him up with a beauty. Babar has gone for 41.
 
Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi, while speaking to the media at the MCG, regarding declining form of Babar Azam, He said:

"I rate Babar Azam very highly and so does the world."

“He is the backbone of Pakistan’s batting lineup. The best batters lose form, but I have seen such consistent batters very rarely in Pakistan cricket."
 
Performances against the very best in their own conditions is what enhances your reputation. That's Virat Kohli for you.

Babar Azam has done nothing of the sort in his 7 year career so far. Virat Kohli was already a legend 7 years into his career.
 
Top teams like Australia acknowledge that he is a quality batter and have surely watched endless videos and analyzed his weakness like they have done for Kohli and others. Now, it's time for Babar to get mentally strong and take his game to another level. His real test of greatness starts now.
 
greatest said:
Top teams like Australia acknowledge that he is a quality batter and have surely watched endless videos and analyzed his weakness like they have done for Kohli and others. Now, it's time for Babar to get mentally strong and take his game to another level. His real test of greatness starts now.
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Difference is no matter how much analysis or videos you watch of Kohli he still invincibly bosses you. Babar in comparison is easy work.
 
Savak said:
Difference is no matter how much analysis or videos you watch of Kohli he still invincibly bosses you. Babar in comparison is easy work.
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Babar has one advantage over Kohli, he gets more opportunities to play and score against second tire teams. This helps his batting stats and reputation.
 
Pakistan cannot afford to drop Babar at this stage where team is already fragile and brittle, just make him focus more in nets and rectify his mistakes
 
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FearlessRoar said:
Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi, while speaking to the media at the MCG, regarding declining form of Babar Azam, He said:

"I rate Babar Azam very highly and so does the world."

“He is the backbone of Pakistan’s batting lineup. The best batters lose form, but I have seen such consistent batters very rarely in Pakistan cricket."
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As usual this guy is living in lalaland. Babar is not considered as threat by any team.
 
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His performances have been mediocre, the fact he's got starts and then got out is just not acceptable for a player of his stature in the team
 
Ollie Robinson opened up his weakness in Pakistan. Everyone is doing the same. Just pitch it 3 quarter length and jag back you can breach his defense.
 
Not a single test 50 this year, and a yawning chasm between bat and pad that both cummins and hazlewood have exploited doesn't bode well.

Heres hoping he can at least finish the series well, but I'm not holding my breath...
 
Babar is clearly Pakistan’s best batter but is in a dreadful run of form.
No one should be undroppable and if his form doesn’t improve he should be excluded.

Not sure there is an array of talent waiting in the wings to replace him, but basically it’s a results driven business — you don’t score, you’re out.
 
gibsyhesperis said:
Babar is clearly Pakistan’s best batter but is in a dreadful run of form.
No one should be undroppable and if his form doesn’t improve he should be excluded.

Not sure there is an array of talent waiting in the wings to replace him, but basically it’s a results driven business — you don’t score, you’re out.
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Management needs to make things clear, if you are out of form, you have to stay out, play domestic cricket, perform there, and then get back into the side.
 
Definitely time.

Imam-Babar-Saud all very weak guys. Abdullah as well.

Time to bring in some trailblazers. What’s the worse that can happen? If we are collapsing from 124-1 to 170-6 with these supposed stalwarts and great walls of China, then may as well get some gung ho bazballers.

Also note how much better the innings was going when our batsmen were taking calculated risks. Vs when they shut down entirely.

Test cricket has evolved. Wake up PCB.

Shan is the man to usher this new era. Despite his supposed “limited ability” he outshone king / emperor / el presidente Babar and a lot was down to his mentality
 
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Dropping Babar and who is going to replace him for the third test? Sarfaraz?
I don't think it makes sense to drop your best batter who is struggling to find some form. Let him play the last game and then let him know that it is a very serious thing that you are not scoring runs. Either you make up for the recent failures or we might have to look for somebody else.
 
SCG may be the closest to what he may find comfortable to bat.

He will definitely play there. All this talk is just academic.
 
No team in the world considers dropping their batsmen after a few games.

Inzi in 1998: 8 Tests, 14 innings, 17.76 AVG. 6 of those 14 innings were vs Zimbabwe and half of the innings played were in Pakistan. In 1997 his AVG was 68+ and after 1998 he played some of the best Test cricket of his career. Should Pakistan have dropped him after a bad year? No of course not.

Sachin in 2003: 5 Tests, 9 innings 17 AVG.
Sachin in 2006: 8 Tests, 12 innings, 24.27 AVG

Point is players go through phases of struggle through their careers and Babar is no different. Babar in 2022 was almost at a 70 avg and produced 4 centuries & 7 50's in just 17 innings. He will get back on track.
 
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Tbh Baba & Shaheen are probably the reason Aus invited Pak for a 3 series high valued market players.

If Salman Mir hamza & Ghulams are the future even Uganda won’t invite Pak.
 
Bring me one name of the Bradman who is sitting on the bench in this squad to replace Babar. There is nobody who can replace him atm. People might say Kamran Ghulam etc but first you have to carry them with the squad and test them rather than dropping these guys without giving them any chance.
 
Babar Azam's scores in the three-match series against Australia:

21 & 14 in 1st Test in Perth
1 & 41 in 2nd Test in Melbourne
26 & 23 in 3rd Test in Sydney

This is a poor show from Babar as he scored just 126 runs in 3 test matches. Should be dropped now?
 
BouncerGuy said:
Babar Azam's scores in the three-match series against Australia:

21 & 14 in 1st Test in Perth
1 & 41 in 2nd Test in Melbourne
26 & 23 in 3rd Test in Sydney

This is a poor show from Babar as he scored just 126 runs in 3 test matches. Should be dropped now?
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The way he has performed for Pakistan throughout his career, you can give him a couple more series.

This series has proved that domestic performers are raring to go, so the likes of Kamran Ghulam might not be bad options for the middle-order now.
 
Lets be fair to Babar - I think all the comparisons with the Big 4 didnt help him at all . Honestly there was very little in terms of big match performances , game changing performances , performances in tough conditions to prematurely elevate him to that level . It does seem that he doesnt quite belong to that level .

Now , does that mean pakistan can drop him ? I still dont think so . He is still among the better batsmen in the Pakistan team. Need to persist with him unless you really find some top class players better than him in the Pak domestic setup

So I think Babar is a victim of they hype that was created around him . Everyone must accept that he doesnt belong to the Big 4 level of batters .
 
Needs to be dropped now.

It's not that fans expect too much, he is playing like a tailender right now. Acerages in 20s this year. That's Azhar Ali terminal decline territory.


Nah mate, you earn your recall. We have better batsman than 20 averaging no. 4s.
 
Marooned said:
Needs to be dropped now.

It's not that fans expect too much, he is playing like a tailender right now. Acerages in 20s this year. That's Azhar Ali terminal decline territory.


Nah mate, you earn your recall. We have better batsman than 20 averaging no. 4s.
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If you are clear that you have better batsmen ( to perform in SENA countries ) , then by all means drop him .
 
vprasanna83 said:
Lets be fair to Babar - I think all the comparisons with the Big 4 didnt help him at all . Honestly there was very little in terms of big match performances , game changing performances , performances in tough conditions to prematurely elevate him to that level . It does seem that he doesnt quite belong to that level .

Now , does that mean pakistan can drop him ? I still dont think so . He is still among the better batsmen in the Pakistan team. Need to persist with him unless you really find some top class players better than him in the Pak domestic setup

So I think Babar is a victim of they hype that was created around him . Everyone must accept that he doesnt belong to the Big 4 level of batters .
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Babar and his family have actively supported the online social media accounts comparing him to the Big 4 especially Kohli. Ramiz badly spoiled him by giving him unchecked powers as captain. A lot of players in this team need plenty of tough love.
 
It's time for the PCB to admit the guy was a hype job and is not really as good as believed or marketed.
 
Savak said:
Babar and his family have actively supported the online social media accounts comparing him to the Big 4 especially Kohli. Ramiz badly spoiled him by giving him unchecked powers as captain. A lot of players in this team need plenty of tough love.
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Tough love for sure . But can Pak afford to drop him . Do you clearly have better batsmen in challenging conditions ?
 
vprasanna83 said:
If you are clear that you have better batsmen ( to perform in SENA countries ) , then by all means drop him .
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You have to come to terms with reality.

Babar is doing nothing right now. Even a tailender can match these returns. It doesn't take much to better babar at all.

Yeah, I'd take my chance starting with Kamran Ghulam.
 
vprasanna83 said:
Tough love for sure . But can Pak afford to drop him . Do you clearly have better batsmen in challenging conditions ?
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Babar hasn't performed as per expectation for Pakistan in any format for the last few years. He has been a flop in the past 3 ICC events and has a very poor Sena record.

No one is bigger than the game. At some point you have to hold your senior players accountable
 
Babar was playing well when he was a normal player. Once Pakistani player's ( ex or current) labelled the tag of superstar ,top batsman in the world etc he take the extra pressure and don't perform as under expectations . This prove he is not made for performing under pressure.
He is still very good batsman just need to get thing back quickly as time is running out.
 
Babar is a good player but nothing exceptional as is often hyped up here, first of all Babar is a consistent player but not a match winner on his own and such players don't fall into the category of greats, the problem with Pakistan is that they don't have enough talent knocking on th door to be able to drop Babar Azam.

As of now, Babar should be backed and I hope he will eventually step up and become a match winner.

As for Pakistan fans, stop hyping up all your players on the basis of domestic performances or on one or two flashes of brilliance. You don't become a star overnight, it takes years of performances and match winning efforts to become a great player.
 
Needs to get a country contract in summer 2024 and play country cricket and comeback . I think county cricket will benefit him.
 
Pathetic series and overall very ordinary for some time now. Today was the moment to show what he is made of and could have scored a big 100 and secure a massive lead. Like expected he failed. He does not have the fire to really press home the advantage.

Should be dropped and 1st of all hit the gym and get rid of that belly he has developed. No fake social media clips of 5 seconds but proper gym sessions.

For me really the most overhyped Pak bat in like 15 years!
 
If the replacement in going to be the likes of shakeels salmans Ayub’s rather have Baba at least hel make a pretty 25/30 with a couple of cover drives, & a century v Uganda here & there !!
 
If you are talking about getting rid of Babar after 6-7 tests without a 50- what are you going to do with everybody else.

Babar has looked the most solid out of our batsman on this tour. He has been out flashing to wide deliveries in the series like the rest of our batters and has looked compact.

He has even seen off the most difficult parts of innings where he has come in 0 and 1 for 2 in this game.

Its only a matter of time that he turns this around,
 
Abdullah said:
If you are talking about getting rid of Babar after 6-7 tests without a 50- what are you going to do with everybody else.

Babar has looked the most solid out of our batsman on this tour. He has been out flashing to wide deliveries in the series like the rest of our batters and has looked compact.

He has even seen off the most difficult parts of innings where he has come in 0 and 1 for 2 in this game.

Its only a matter of time that he turns this around,
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He has NOT been out flashing at wide deliveries (like Abdullah Shan Saud)
 
Abdullah said:
If you are talking about getting rid of Babar after 6-7 tests without a 50- what are you going to do with everybody else.

Babar has looked the most solid out of our batsman on this tour. He has been out flashing to wide deliveries in the series like the rest of our batters and has looked compact.

He has even seen off the most difficult parts of innings where he has come in 0 and 1 for 2 in this game.

Its only a matter of time that he turns this around,
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Bro you serious?
Did you even watch the games?
Do you even know how he is getting out?
 
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