[VIDEOS/PICTURES] Will Babar Azam revolutionise the batting culture in Pakistan?

[waleed88]

If Babar had scored some runs in the early part of the tournament, when it actually mattered for Pakistan, we would've qualified, but he choked for the country when it did matter. Which has been a feature for him in the past as well

 

[waleed88]

It doesn't sit right for your best batsman to be hiding behind 4-5 other batsman in test matches

 

[Abdullah]

Lets have him bat at no.3 in test matches instead of hiding behind 5 batsman.

Lets also see him bat why chasing a big total in ODIs.

I know he is probably Pakistan's best talent to have come across in the past 20 years however lets also not forget that he was below 7 names in the world cup top scorers which include Sharma, Warner, Shakib Al hasan (an allrounder scoring 600 runs), kane williamson, joe root, johnny bairstow, aaron finch and ben stokes (another allrounder who only scored 10 less runs than him and plays at no.6-7)

Why at 3. Do Smith and kohli bat 3?

I can give u a whole host of names of guys who didn't score anywhere near 500. I ll start with Smith and kohli

Chasing big totals can't be done by 1 man ( unless kohli or Sharma) it requires team input

 

[The Viper]

Lets have him bat at no.3 in test matches instead of hiding behind 5 batsman.

Lets also see him bat why chasing a big total in ODIs.

I know he is probably Pakistan's best talent to have come across in the past 20 years however lets also not forget that he was below 7 names in the world cup top scorers which include Sharma, Warner, Shakib Al hasan (an allrounder scoring 600 runs), kane williamson, joe root, johnny bairstow, aaron finch and ben stokes (another allrounder who only scored 10 less runs than him and plays at no.6-7)

The Best batsman in the team bat at 4. Smith, Kohli, Root etc. Ideally Babar should be batting higher. I would play him at 4 and Shafiq at 5.

 

[Danyaalr01]

It doesn't sit right for your best batsman to be hiding behind 4-5 other batsman in test matches

Hiding? He is still relatively new to the format and throwing someone into 3 straight away is stupid. How is 4 a hididng spot. So you're saying Smith and Kohli hide down the order. 5 is really important too and he is batting at the right position. He can probably move up to 4 later.

 

[Gullycricket]

It doesn't sit right for your best batsman to be hiding behind 4-5 other batsman in test matches

You need some history lessons Kid.See where Koli was batting in Australia tour of 2012-13.Babar is at same stage.He will move up eventually

 

[tyron_woodley]

zaheer abbas
miandad
younis khan
moyo
inzamam
saeed anwar

pretty sure pakistan already had great stars to look up to and have more than enough great batsmen to be inspired by.

babar was inspired by inzamam, younis, moyo trio.

babe is carrying this tradition of producing great Pakistani batsmen.
Pakistan just need a new younis khan and a moyo now.

which reminds me. india is inspired by bumrah and just like babar for pakistan, seems like bumrah has revolutions indian bowling culture.

 

[tyron_woodley]

younis
moyo
inzamam
anwar

wow what a team that was. incredible batting talent. Particularly for sub continent conditions. They dint lose much at home did they?

 

[MenInG]

Pakistan T20I skipper Babar Azam is regarded as one of the best batsmen in the world but according to former Australia great Michael Hussey, he still has someway to go in order to reach the heights of Virat Kohli or Steve Smith. Due to a string of consistent performances across formats, Azam has become a mainstay in the Pakistan line-up and was recently made the skipper in the shortest format following the ouster of Sarfaraz Ahmed.

Despite being the shining star for Pakistan in white-ball cricket, Babar hasn’t been able to replicate that form in the longest format. In 21 Tests, the 25-year-old has scored just one century and 11 fifties and Hussey says Babar will have to change this stats in order to be compared to the likes of Kohli, Smith or Williamson.

“I honestly believe this guy can be in the same conversation when we start talking about the best players in the world,” Hussey was quoted as saying by Fox Sports. “We start talking about (Virat) Kohli, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson, Joe Root gets floated around.

“I think if he can start putting together some big hundreds like this in the Test arena, he’s that good ... he’s a brilliant, brilliant player,” he added.

Before the first Test against Australia, Babar issued a warning to the hosts by slamming a masterful 157 in a practice game. The right-hander was in good form in the recently-concluded T20I series against Australia, where he slammed couple of fifties but was unable to stop him team from going down 2-0 (the first match was abandoned due to rain).

This is not the first time when Babar has been compared with India skipper Kohli and the dashing Pakistan batsman has spoken out regarding the same in the past. Azam has time and again drawn comparisons to Kohli because of his consistency and social media are usually abuzz with such talks when the two teams clash during ICC tournaments.

“I don’t think there is or should be any comparison as we are different types of players,” Azam told PakPassion.net. “I just focus on my batting and working on my strengths and weaknesses and have no desire to be compared with any other cricketer.”

Also Read: Indore chief curator reveals nature of pitch ahead of 1st Bangladesh Test

“I’m sure I speak for most cricketers when I say comparisons are only for fans and the media and we cricketers don’t really crave any comparisons or want to be compared to any current or former players as that just creates endless pressure.

“As great as he is, I don’t want to be compared to Virat (Kohli) or any other cricketer, I just want to win matches for my country as that is my only aim.”

https://www.hindustantimes.com/cric...steve-smith/story-1pkvJJy62UCLgtp6ady35N.html

 

[waleed88]

You need some history lessons Kid.See where Koli was batting in Australia tour of 2012-13.Babar is at same stage.He will move up eventually

We are still in this delusion in 2019 that Babar azam is Kohli's level... wow

 

[waleed88]

Hiding? He is still relatively new to the format and throwing someone into 3 straight away is stupid. How is 4 a hididng spot. So you're saying Smith and Kohli hide down the order. 5 is really important too and he is batting at the right position. He can probably move up to 4 later.

I don't think starting your 4th year in the test side should count as a starting off, frankly no one else has been given that many opportunities to perform as Babar. The guy consistently failed for 1.5 year by my counting, from the tour to australia, facing west indies, facing srilanka in the uae... and had to be moved down to number 6 mind you, but never even axed once from the side for a consistently poor showing.

Averaging dismally in the early 20s as a number 3 batsman

Why? Because for some players performances in one format can exempt you from dismal performances in the other formats... doesn't happen for everyone though. Selected few are given this opportunity to perform despite failing multiple times

 

[waleed88]

You need some history lessons Kid.See where Koli was batting in Australia tour of 2012-13.Babar is at same stage.He will move up eventually

You need some history lessons too. Babar failed as a number 3 batsman for 1.5 years before he was demoted to number 6. Not removed from the team because of his 'batting talent of a generation' status.

 

[Relic]

We are still in this delusion in 2019 that Babar azam is Kohli's level... wow

You're delusional to think that people are comparing the current babar azam to the current Kohli.
They're not. They're comparing the 2014/15 kohli to the current Babar Azam and it is a good comparison

 

[waleed88]

You're delusional to think that people are comparing the current babar azam to the current Kohli.
They're not. They're comparing the 2014/15 kohli to the current Babar Azam and it is a good comparison

Did Babar azam chase down any total above 300 in ODIs let alone chase it down in 42 overs?

Did Babar azam ever score a 100 against his arch rivals India, let alone score a 180 against them?

Did Azam win a world cup champions trophy in his time?

Did Azam score a hundred in Australia? Let alone score one in the 4th innings chasing a mammoth total (albeit in a failed cause)

How many test hundreds does Babar have in this time?

Kohli had those achievements and many more...

Kohli had 25 centuries in ODIs only by 2014, and Babar has only 11 (a pretty good number in itself, doesn't need to be compared to Kohli)

 

[Mamoon]

As great as Babar is, he only has about 1% chance of equaling Kohli’s record and stature because of a multitude reasons, ranging from the gap in talent, mentality, confidence etc. as well as the humongous gap between Pakistan and Indian cricket.

Kohli is arguably the most complete all-format batsman in history and already among the top 5 batsmen ever. As an overall cricketer, he is well on his way of becoming Asia’s greatest because of his incredible record as Test captain.

Babar can be a great of the game and still not be anywhere close. He doesn’t have to be at Kohli’s level to build a legacy.

 

[Abdullah719]

I don't think starting your 4th year in the test side should count as a starting off, frankly no one else has been given that many opportunities to perform as Babar. The guy consistently failed for 1.5 year by my counting, from the tour to australia, facing west indies, facing srilanka in the uae... and had to be moved down to number 6 mind you, but never even axed once from the side for a consistently poor showing.

Averaging dismally in the early 20s as a number 3 batsman

Why? Because for some players performances in one format can exempt you from dismal performances in the other formats... doesn't happen for everyone though. Selected few are given this opportunity to perform despite failing multiple times

It's called recognising a player's potential and investing in him. Been done countless times before, will be done plenty of times in future.

PCB invested way too much in Babar to drop him from Tests after a few failures. Sometime around 2017, I was of the opinion that he should be benched, but I'm glad that didn't happen.

 

[Relic]

Did Babar azam chase down any total above 300 in ODIs let alone chase it down in 42 overs?

Did Babar azam ever score a 100 against his arch rivals India, let alone score a 180 against them?

Did Azam win a world cup champions trophy in his time?

Did Azam score a hundred in Australia? Let alone score one in the 4th innings chasing a mammoth total (albeit in a failed cause)

How many test hundreds does Babar have in this time?

Kohli had those achievements and many more...

Kohli had 25 centuries in ODIs only by 2014, and Babar has only 11 (a pretty good number in itself, doesn't need to be compared to Kohli)

Since when has scoring a 100 against india become a benchmark??
Anyways.
He has won a champions trophy in his time. He has scored a hundred in Australia

As for his hundreds. Compare it on the basis of innings not years.
Kohli started playing at a younger age than babar so when he was 26 he already had more years of experience.
Btw babar just turned 25 so compare the hundreds on the basis of innings not age then come back to me.

Let's see what he does in the WTC then we'll get a better image

 

[Relic]

I don't think starting your 4th year in the test side should count as a starting off, frankly no one else has been given that many opportunities to perform as Babar. The guy consistently failed for 1.5 year by my counting, from the tour to australia, facing west indies, facing srilanka in the uae... and had to be moved down to number 6 mind you, but never even axed once from the side for a consistently poor showing.

Averaging dismally in the early 20s as a number 3 batsman

Why? Because for some players performances in one format can exempt you from dismal performances in the other formats... doesn't happen for everyone though. Selected few are given this opportunity to perform despite failing multiple times

Don't you think taking that risk is now paying off???

He's finding his feet in test cricket. If he doesn't perform in the away series that we've coming up then your point will be valid but as of now it's not entirely true

 

[Kroll]

Since when has scoring a 100 against india become a benchmark??
Anyways.
He has won a champions trophy in his time. He has scored a hundred in Australia

As for his hundreds. Compare it on the basis of innings not years.
Kohli started playing at a younger age than babar so when he was 26 he already had more years of experience.
Btw babar just turned 25 so compare the hundreds on the basis of innings not age then come back to me.

Let's see what he does in the WTC then we'll get a better image

That's a travesty in itself since he was earmarked for the national side from an early age. That's the legacy of Misbah for you, blocking out the emerging talent to select his pals.

 

[Hitman]

That's a travesty in itself since he was earmarked for the national side from an early age. That's the legacy of Misbah for you, blocking out the emerging talent to select his pals.

That too as a specialist batsman from India when Sachin, Sehwag, Gambhir, Dhoni, Yuvraj, etc were in prime form.

 

[Danyaalr01]

That too as a specialist batsman from India when Sachin, Sehwag, Gambhir, Dhoni, Yuvraj, etc were in prime form.

He was talking about Babar...

 

[Gullycricket]

Did Babar azam chase down any total above 300 in ODIs let alone chase it down in 42 overs?

Did Babar azam ever score a 100 against his arch rivals India, let alone score a 180 against them?

Did Azam win a world cup champions trophy in his time?

Did Azam score a hundred in Australia? Let alone score one in the 4th innings chasing a mammoth total (albeit in a failed cause)

How many test hundreds does Babar have in this time?

Kohli had those achievements and many more...

Kohli had 25 centuries in ODIs only by 2014, and Babar has only 11 (a pretty good number in itself, doesn't need to be compared to Kohli)

Brother see the team in which Kohli plays.Do you seriously believe Kohli would achieve all that you mentioned if he was a Pakistani player....
Anyways this aura around Kohli is too much hyped.He was mentally bullied by Aussies and Smith in 2016-17 tour of India and it was only when he got injured that India won the test series.He has failed in Knockouts when there is real pressure.Remind me what he did against Boult and co in semis.Babar won us a tough game against the same team

Kohli is good but he has the cushion of some good players to fall back on.Name me one player apart from Babar we can rely on.Thats why Babar>>>>>>Kohli at same age

 

[Sunny_majoka]

Very much Happy for him.
He has become superstar our first batsman in cricketing history who is ideal for every young Pakistani boy.

 

[Hawkeye]

Sure.

Specially when kids see him bat live in the grounds.

 

[MoJoJoJo]

Outscored kohli in tests in 2019, even better achievement considering pakistan toured Southafrica and australia this year. Had a better world cup than kohli, scored 40 odd runs more than kohli in wc having played one less match than him.. Can't predict about future but he is definitely going in the right direction to become an ATG!

 

[Joseph Gomes]

Outscored kohli in tests in 2019, even better achievement considering pakistan toured Southafrica and australia this year. Had a better world cup than kohli, scored 40 odd runs more than kohli in wc having played one less match than him.. Can't predict about future but he is definitely going in the right direction to become an ATG!

ATG is way too much. The requirement to become an ATG becomes harder every year, an ATG player must be able to become part of an ATG squad. I don't see Babar qualifying for at least 6 or 8 years.

 

[Abdullah719]

Babar's hundred vs SL in the Karachi Test.

<iframe src="https://streamable.com/s/zq2xr/kwgv" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Waleed93]

ATG is way too much. The requirement to become an ATG becomes harder every year, an ATG player must be able to become part of an ATG squad. I don't see Babar qualifying for at least 6 or 8 years.

Being an ATG doesn't have anything to do with being a part of an ATG team. You can have one world class player playing for a mediocre side.

Matches are very rarely won by individual brilliance, and sometimes, even ATG knocks are not enough for a player to take his team home. Similarly, an ATG squad can also have 1-2 above average players, capable of remaining in the squad due to the team winning games more often than not, thus allowing a few average players to stay in the team.

Babar can end up being an ATG, despite playing for a mediocre side. There have been various such cases of great players before Babar playing in poor/average sides. Tendulkar was already an ATG, the best batsman in the world during the end of the 90s, his team however was average at best. In modern times, you can see Shakib's example as well. From Pakistan, Younis was a Test ATG despite ending his career with an average team as well.

 

[King_Kohli]

In 2019 tests
Babar:
11 innings 616 runs Avg 68.44

Virat:
11 innings. 612 runs Avg 68.00

Babar is doing exceptionally well

 

[King_Kohli]

In 2019 tests
Babar:
11 innings 616 runs Avg 68.44

Virat:
11 innings. 612 runs Avg 68.00

Babar is doing exceptionally well

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Zeeshan and Haider need to follow suit. They definitely have the tools. Need to find a way to kick Asad and Azhar out.

 

[KingKhan12]

Let's hope he does. Needs to carry on and keep trying to improve. Future players will look up to him. After Inzamam and Yousuf to a extent we ain't really had a batsmen who players would look upto. Younis was great in Tests but in limited overs was poor.

 

[Nadeem98]

He is doing for Pakistan's batting culture what Imran did for its bowling culture in 1982 which is to completely revolutionise it. Babar has captured everyone's imagination ranging from our batting superstars of yesteryear to international legends such as Ricky Ponting. This is due to his all-encompassing determination and versatility which has propelled to the top 10 list of every batting format.

His temperament is unflappable and the technique is impeccable. The former is a product of mental balance and the latter is a manifestation of his psychological balance. Babar's test average has been around 65 for almost two years now. Factor in his ODI and T20 game; you have a monster on your hands. His game is not a function of a comparison with the other stalwarts of his generation such as Smith, Williamson and the other two. It's him against him. That's why there is non-stop improvement. The man is completely oblivious to any fanciful indulgences of his fanatical fans who unfairly pit him against batsmen of much greater experience. Completely obsessed and possessed to become a success.That's Babar Azam.

 

[Joseph Gomes]

Being an ATG doesn't have anything to do with being a part of an ATG team. You can have one world class player playing for a mediocre side.

Matches are very rarely won by individual brilliance, and sometimes, even ATG knocks are not enough for a player to take his team home. Similarly, an ATG squad can also have 1-2 above average players, capable of remaining in the squad due to the team winning games more often than not, thus allowing a few average players to stay in the team.

Babar can end up being an ATG, despite playing for a mediocre side. There have been various such cases of great players before Babar playing in poor/average sides. Tendulkar was already an ATG, the best batsman in the world during the end of the 90s, his team however was average at best. In modern times, you can see Shakib's example as well. From Pakistan, Younis was a Test ATG despite ending his career with an average team as well.

I mean an ATG players must be eligible to be picked up for a global ATG squad, not their own team. Pakistan being minnow or no.1 has nothing to do with Babar being ATG. The requirement to be a global ATG gets harder every year, and Babar has done nothing yet to deserve a mention. Even Kohli won't get into ATG test team, not even tier 3.

 

[Gullycricket]

Carrying this team by himself. Commies go gaga with uff and wow with every shot he plays.MashaAllah. To me he is right there just behind Steve Smith as the best in the world.He has established himself.Best of all he doesn't need fake aggression and PR to succeed
Go Bobby be the best

 

[MenInG]

Playing tennis ball cricket at Azhar Ali's home...


<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 100.000%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/s/qh4mn/ugtxcw" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>

 

[tyron_woodley]

He is doing for Pakistan's batting culture what Imran did for its bowling culture in 1982 which is to completely revolutionise it. Babar has captured everyone's imagination ranging from our batting superstars of yesteryear to international legends such as Ricky Ponting. This is due to his all-encompassing determination and versatility which has propelled to the top 10 list of every batting format.

His temperament is unflappable and the technique is impeccable. The former is a product of mental balance and the latter is a manifestation of his psychological balance. Babar's test average has been around 65 for almost two years now. Factor in his ODI and T20 game; you have a monster on your hands. His game is not a function of a comparison with the other stalwarts of his generation such as Smith, Williamson and the other two. It's him against him. That's why there is non-stop improvement. The man is completely oblivious to any fanciful indulgences of his fanatical fans who unfairly pit him against batsmen of much greater experience. Completely obsessed and possessed to become a success.That's Babar Azam.

lol at williamsons's name being pitted against the likes of kohli and smithits kohli and smith.

daylight.

then rest.

 

[MenInG]

Duck for Babar Azam against Bangladesh - bad shot in my view.

 

[MenInG]

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Dean Jones "Babar Azam is respected around the world. I am really looking forward to working with him at Karachi Kings and to see how he goes about his game and how he prepares himself mentally and physically for matches. To me, Babar is a potential batting genius" <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1222816940785270786?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[MenInG]

Dean Jones about Babar Azam :

“One thing I really like about Babar is that he is great to watch, and his batting is so pleasing on the eye. When you throw the ball to the likes of Shane Watson or Andre Russell, it’s scary when they hit it; you fear for your life in terms of how hard they hit the ball. With Babar, it’s just so graceful, nice to watch and good on the eye for us old-timers. He has great technique and he knows where he’s at. I believe he needs to put himself in more responsible positions in Test matches and bat in the top 4. Hopefully, in the next couple of years, we will make him a bigger and better player in T20 cricket and get more consistency in his batting. He’s not a power player but he still has such great numbers in T20 cricket, so we will try and improve him even more. We know Babar will not rest on his laurels as he isn’t that kind of a player and he has something about him. Recently, I was speaking to fellow commentators on television about Babar and we spoke for 15 minutes about him, which shows how much he is respected around the world. I am really looking forward to working with him and to see how he goes about his game and how mentally and physically he prepares himself for games. To me, Babar Azam is a potential batting genius.”

 

[Mamoon]

Babar has all the qualities to become Pakistan’s greatest batsman, but his aim should be to also become a very marketable athlete and achieve superstar status.

He needs to work on his appearance and communication skills. This will maximize his earning potential, earn him sponsorships and ads, and eventually get a big money deal with a major sporting brand.

More importantly, this will also help increase the rotting marketability and fledging brand value of Pakistan cricket team.

The notion that it will impact his performance is not true. Kohli spends a lot of money on his appearance and it hasn’t prevented him from becoming an all-time great.

He is not only a megastar because of his batting but also because of his look, all the tattoos and how he carries himself.

KL Rahul has done the same and as he continues to go from strength to strength, his stardom will also increase.

Rohit has been found wanting on this front and still struts around with a pot belly and a lazy look.

Pakistan badly needs a batting superstar and Babar is the only one who has the talent to be one, and it is very important that he works on his marketability as well.

 

[Rana]

Babar has all the qualities to become Pakistan’s greatest batsman, but his aim should be to also become a very marketable athlete and achieve superstar status.

He needs to work on his appearance and communication skills. This will maximize his earning potential, earn him sponsorships and ads, and eventually get a big money deal with a major sporting brand.

More importantly, this will also help increase the rotting marketability and fledging brand value of Pakistan cricket team.

The notion that it will impact his performance is not true. Kohli spends a lot of money on his appearance and it hasn’t prevented him from becoming an all-time great.

He is not only a megastar because of his batting but also because of his look, all the tattoos and how he carries himself.

KL Rahul has done the same and as he continues to go from strength to strength, his stardom will also increase.

Rohit has been found wanting on this front and still struts around with a pot belly and a lazy look.

Pakistan badly needs a batting superstar and Babar is the only one who has the talent to be one, and it is very important that he works on his marketability as well.

No thanks. Simplicity is quality and thats his identity. The simple yet great Babar Azam

 

[Mueez]

Babar has all the qualities to become Pakistan’s greatest batsman, but his aim should be to also become a very marketable athlete and achieve superstar status.

He needs to work on his appearance and communication skills. This will maximize his earning potential, earn him sponsorships and ads, and eventually get a big money deal with a major sporting brand.

More importantly, this will also help increase the rotting marketability and fledging brand value of Pakistan cricket team.

The notion that it will impact his performance is not true. Kohli spends a lot of money on his appearance and it hasn’t prevented him from becoming an all-time great.

He is not only a megastar because of his batting but also because of his look, all the tattoos and how he carries himself.

KL Rahul has done the same and as he continues to go from strength to strength, his stardom will also increase.

Rohit has been found wanting on this front and still struts around with a pot belly and a lazy look.

Pakistan badly needs a batting superstar and Babar is the only one who has the talent to be one, and it is very important that he works on his marketability as well.

Totally agree with this.

 

[Mamoon]

No thanks. Simplicity is quality and thats his identity. The simple yet great Babar Azam

Simplicity doesn’t bring money in today’s sport. It is better for both Babar and Pakistan if he becomes a star and someone with real presence in the cricket field.

He will captain Pakistan in all formats for 10+ years. It is imperative that he becomes a superstar because it will hugely benefit Pakistan cricket’s brand.

Imran Khan was also a big star in his time and did help Pakistan’s profile. That was essentially the difference between him and someone like Miandad.

 

[fasihulhaq94]

No thanks. Simplicity is quality and thats his identity. The simple yet great Babar Azam

we have a tibetan monk in our midst!

 

[Shaddy86]

Saw Babar in an ad and it was very cringy. He definitely needs to work on his communication and he'll earn a lot of money through ads. But on his current appearance, he's not made for ads, not where he has to talk anyway.

 

[Rinnegan Sasuke]

Simplicity doesn’t bring money in today’s sport. It is better for both Babar and Pakistan if he becomes a star and someone with real presence in the cricket field.

He will captain Pakistan in all formats for 10+ years. It is imperative that he becomes a superstar because it will hugely benefit Pakistan cricket’s brand.

Imran Khan was also a big star in his time and did help Pakistan’s profile. That was essentially the difference between him and someone like Miandad.

Agreed. The role of the team captain should be a highly coveted position given to those with a presence on and off the field. It's a shame we let it tarnish over the years by having yawners and ball biters with no ability or charisma occupy it and make us a laughing stock over the last 15 years.

 

[Rana]

Simplicity doesn’t bring money in today’s sport. It is better for both Babar and Pakistan if he becomes a star and someone with real presence in the cricket field.

He will captain Pakistan in all formats for 10+ years. It is imperative that he becomes a superstar because it will hugely benefit Pakistan cricket’s brand.

Imran Khan was also a big star in his time and did help Pakistan’s profile. That was essentially the difference between him and someone like Miandad.

You cant ask a simpleton to become something out of his depth, it might damage his own development. Look at Tendulkar and Sehwag (playing days). Do you think that these guys cared about their market value or improving their brand image the way today's kids do? If you dont know who Tendulkar is and see him in London, you would probably think he is a well off Indian man on holiday with his family. Nothing more. The man has made his brand through his art as a batsman rather than working very hard to be something that inside he isnt. The Sehwag you see today on TV and youtube is not the Sehwag of his playing days, this man was a brutal, no nonsense batsman who built his brand being who he was. Him and Dravid did not even care if their bats were sponsored by Random tyre manufacturing companies instead of these show-boating brands such as Adidas and New Balance.

 

[sweep_shot]

Simplicity doesn’t bring money in today’s sport. It is better for both Babar and Pakistan if he becomes a star and someone with real presence in the cricket field.

He will captain Pakistan in all formats for 10+ years. It is imperative that he becomes a superstar because it will hugely benefit Pakistan cricket’s brand.

Imran Khan was also a big star in his time and did help Pakistan’s profile. That was essentially the difference between him and someone like Miandad.

I think that it is better for Babar to remain simple. Not all people can be charismatic like Imran Khan.

Babar seems naturally introverted. You can't turn a horse into an eagle.

 

[Rana]

we have a tibetan monk in our midst!

I know Mamoon's point and its not a bad one but you cant ask someone who isnt capable of becoming trendy like Travis Scott when he simply has not come from a background to become someone like that.

 

[dhump]

Babar has all the qualities to become Pakistan’s greatest batsman, but his aim should be to also become a very marketable athlete and achieve superstar status.

He needs to work on his appearance and communication skills. This will maximize his earning potential, earn him sponsorships and ads, and eventually get a big money deal with a major sporting brand.

More importantly, this will also help increase the rotting marketability and fledging brand value of Pakistan cricket team.

The notion that it will impact his performance is not true. Kohli spends a lot of money on his appearance and it hasn’t prevented him from becoming an all-time great.

He is not only a megastar because of his batting but also because of his look, all the tattoos and how he carries himself.

KL Rahul has done the same and as he continues to go from strength to strength, his stardom will also increase.

Rohit has been found wanting on this front and still struts around with a pot belly and a lazy look.

Pakistan badly needs a batting superstar and Babar is the only one who has the talent to be one, and it is very important that he works on his marketability as well.

All your suggestions are good and understandable for any sportsman in today's world but the problem with our Pakistani players and the general public is that they tend to forget what is their primary job. That is the reason I would not mind him stay humble and natural and just bat well as he is doing.

 

[Titan24]

Babar has all the qualities to become Pakistan’s greatest batsman, but his aim should be to also become a very marketable athlete and achieve superstar status.

He needs to work on his appearance and communication skills. This will maximize his earning potential, earn him sponsorships and ads, and eventually get a big money deal with a major sporting brand.

More importantly, this will also help increase the rotting marketability and fledging brand value of Pakistan cricket team.

The notion that it will impact his performance is not true. Kohli spends a lot of money on his appearance and it hasn’t prevented him from becoming an all-time great.

He is not only a megastar because of his batting but also because of his look, all the tattoos and how he carries himself.

KL Rahul has done the same and as he continues to go from strength to strength, his stardom will also increase.

Rohit has been found wanting on this front and still struts around with a pot belly and a lazy look.

Pakistan badly needs a batting superstar and Babar is the only one who has the talent to be one, and it is very important that he works on his marketability as well.

Babar will definitely start to express himself more as now he is an established player and we have already seen glimpses on the fields and him as captain. He was a young, lanky and shy guy when he started playing international cricket and is 25 now. I think he is going through natural evolution as a player as well as a personality. He should obviously think about it during his off time make the process faster but, I can see the natural evolution in him.

However at the same time Williamson, Smith or Root arent the most brand-able personalities but are still marketable based upon their stature as players.

 

[obaidshariq]

[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] Sorry but what is wrong with his appearance? He is very presentable and just because his English is a little weak it doesn't mean that his communication skills are poor. Have you heard Messi, Ronaldo or Nadal speak? You managed to bring somey negative out of Babar Azam. Hats of to you pal. Also, what do you think about the game ? If Mushfiq was playing, he would have stumped 5 of them and caught behind tb other 5 by now?

 

[Rana]

[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] Sorry but what is wrong with his appearance? He is very presentable and just because his English is a little weak it doesn't mean that his communication skills are poor. Have you heard Messi, Ronaldo or Nadal speak? You managed to bring somey negative out of Babar Azam. Hats of to you pal. Also, what do you think about the game ? If Mushfiq was playing, he would have stumped 5 of them and caught behind tb other 5 by now?

He would have scored 500 alone against us

 

[Mamoon]

[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] Sorry but what is wrong with his appearance? He is very presentable and just because his English is a little weak it doesn't mean that his communication skills are poor. Have you heard Messi, Ronaldo or Nadal speak? You managed to bring somey negative out of Babar Azam. Hats of to you pal. Also, what do you think about the game ? If Mushfiq was playing, he would have stumped 5 of them and caught behind tb other 5 by now?

He is not presentable. He doesn’t have the appearance of a star and his communication skills are weak. The examples of Messi, Ronaldo and Nadal are useless ne hadd cricket is different.

It is primarily played in commonwealth countries and the influence of English is huge on the game. English is the de facto official language of cricket.

All the terms are in English and even in domestic cricket if you say “kaisay tha” instead of “Howzat” while appealing, even the umpire will wonder if you are okay.

English is not the official language in football or tennis. They are proper global sports played by countries that are not commonwealth or have no influence of English.

A cricket captain cannot avoid speaking English. He has to communicate regularly and it is important that he works on his English speaking skills. Soft skills are important in all fields and cricket is no different.

If Kohli spoke English like Umar Akmal it would hurt his image.

If you are happy to see Pakistani players get embarrassed because of their inability to communicate properly, well good for you.

Few months back, Babar was lashing out on at a journalist on Twitter because she called him Mickey Arthur’s son. The poor guy thought she was abusing him.

This is not finding negatives. What I am suggesting will benefit both him and Pakistan cricket, but well done on putting a negative spin on it.

 

[Mamoon]

[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] Sorry but what is wrong with his appearance? He is very presentable and just because his English is a little weak it doesn't mean that his communication skills are poor. Have you heard Messi, Ronaldo or Nadal speak? You managed to bring somey negative out of Babar Azam. Hats of to you pal. Also, what do you think about the game ? If Mushfiq was playing, he would have stumped 5 of them and caught behind tb other 5 by now?

Mushfiq and Shakib’s presence wouldn’t have impacted Babar, but Bangladesh would have definitely scored more runs. You can act like their absence makes no difference if it makes you happy.

 

[zain7077]

Mamoon is absolutely right. It is for the betterment of both Babar and Pakistan Cricket., even though performance comes first

 

[shah_1]

Babar will definitely start to express himself more as now he is an established player and we have already seen glimpses on the fields and him as captain. He was a young, lanky and shy guy when he started playing international cricket and is 25 now. I think he is going through natural evolution as a player as well as a personality. He should obviously think about it during his off time make the process faster but, I can see the natural evolution in him.

However at the same time Williamson, Smith or Root arent the most brand-able personalities but are still marketable based upon their stature as players.

Look at Kawhi Leonard, one of the biggest stars in NBA yet he doesn't have a superstar personality. Some people are just that, you can't be changed. Kohli was always a confident person from an early age

 

[Titan24]

Look at Kawhi Leonard, one of the biggest stars in NBA yet he doesn't have a superstar personality. Some people are just that, you can't be changed. Kohli was always a confident person from an early age

You are correct but there is evolution is part of every type of personality and Babar is at that age and stage of his career that he will also evolve obviously within his mould and limits and wont necessarily become someone else. Even if you see Williamson, Root and Smith they have also evolved as personalities from when they were 25 which is completely evident as well.

 

[Rana]

He is not presentable. He doesn’t have the appearance of a star and his communication skills are weak. The examples of Messi, Ronaldo and Nadal are useless ne hadd cricket is different.

It is primarily played in commonwealth countries and the influence of English is huge on the game. English is the de facto official language of cricket.

All the terms are in English and even in domestic cricket if you say “kaisay tha” instead of “Howzat” while appealing, even the umpire will wonder if you are okay.

English is not the official language in football or tennis. They are proper global sports played by countries that are not commonwealth or have no influence of English.

A cricket captain cannot avoid speaking English. He has to communicate regularly and it is important that he works on his English speaking skills. Soft skills are important in all fields and cricket is no different.

If Kohli spoke English like Umar Akmal it would hurt his image.

If you are happy to see Pakistani players get embarrassed because of their inability to communicate properly, well good for you.

Few months back, Babar was lashing out on a journalist on Twitter because she called him Mickey Arthur’s son. The poor guy thought she was abusing him.

This is not finding negatives. What I am suggesting will benefit both him and Pakistan cricket, but well done on putting a negative spin on it.

You don't know the context of this so why are you behaving like Hassan Ali and Shadab Khan in this matter? He was clearly offended about some inner dressing room joke that had been leaked to her by these shokhay players and she was definetly crossing her limits as a journalist in those days.

I believe you have zero exposure to western countries and your view of them is limited to what you see on the TV and the Internet. People in the west could care less if the guy cannot speak a word of English, but is doing the job that he is being commissioned to do. Sergio Aguero is probably more 'backward' (derogatory) as a person compared to Babar, but the guys skill as a deadly striker commands him respect amongst millions of people across the globe.

Now if you are marginalising Babar under the view of what you think he should be, by using examples of Indian cricketers post 2007 (Dhoni era), then this is a debate in itself and has nothing to do with 'Marketable solution'.

 

[Gullycricket]

He is not presentable. He doesn’t have the appearance of a star and his communication skills are weak. The examples of Messi, Ronaldo and Nadal are useless ne hadd cricket is different.

It is primarily played in commonwealth countries and the influence of English is huge on the game. English is the de facto official language of cricket.

All the terms are in English and even in domestic cricket if you say “kaisay tha” instead of “Howzat” while appealing, even the umpire will wonder if you are okay.

English is not the official language in football or tennis. They are proper global sports played by countries that are not commonwealth or have no influence of English.

A cricket captain cannot avoid speaking English. He has to communicate regularly and it is important that he works on his English speaking skills. Soft skills are important in all fields and cricket is no different.

If Kohli spoke English like Umar Akmal it would hurt his image.

If you are happy to see Pakistani players get embarrassed because of their inability to communicate properly, well good for you.

Few months back, Babar was lashing out on at a journalist on Twitter because she called him Mickey Arthur’s son. The poor guy thought she was abusing him.

This is not finding negatives. What I am suggesting will benefit both him and Pakistan cricket, but well done on putting a negative spin on it.

Kohli is so crass and vulgar. Thats his reality. Would never want Babar like that. Emulate Imran.Thats the Advice .Never Kohli.

 

[Mamoon]

You don't know the context of this so why are you behaving like Hassan Ali and Shadab Khan in this matter? He was clearly offended about some inner dressing room joke that had been leaked to her by these shokhay players and she was definetly crossing her limits as a journalist in those days.

Babar should not have reacted the way he did. The journalist said nothing offensive, but because of his poor grasp of English, he took her words in a literal fashion and lashed out.

I believe you have zero exposure to western countries and your view of them is limited to what you see on the TV and the Internet.

The majority of my extended family are British Pakistanis. I spent every summer of my life until 2015 in the UK. Why do you think I support England as my second team?

in the west could care less if the guy cannot speak a word of English, but is doing the job that he is being commissioned to do. Sergio Aguero is probably more 'backward' (derogatory) as a person compared to Babar, but the guys skill as a deadly striker commands him respect amongst millions of people across the globe.

Now if you are marginalising Babar under the view of what you think he should be, by using examples of Indian cricketers post 2007 (Dhoni era), then this is a debate in itself and has nothing to do with 'Marketable solution'.

Again, there is a difference between football and cricket. Football is a true global sport by played by hundreds of countries that have no link English.

Cricket is a unique sport that is primarily played by commonwealth countries, and thus, English has become the de facto official language of cricket.

A cricket captain cannot avoid communicating in English. There won’t always be a translator available. Hence, it is important for players to be effective communicators in English.

In all other jobs where you are required to communicate with people, you are asked to work on your communication skills. You have to make presentations, address large crowds, meet people etc. etc., and public speaking skills take you a long way.

A cricket captain has no different. He has to communicate on a regular basis and it’s imperative that he possesses good communication skills.

Pakistani captains and players are found wanting on this front and it has created plenty of embarrassing situations. There is no absolutely no harm in players like Babar improving their English speaking proficiency.

It was embarrassing to hear Sarfraz talk. He gave a very bad impression of Pakistani society, and “boys played well” became a running joke during Inzamam’s tenure.

I want Pakistan to avoid such embarrassment and not get stereotyped for the funny English of its players. It bothers and that is why this is my stance. If if doesn’t bother you or others then that is your stance.

 

[Mamoon]

Kohli is so crass and vulgar. Thats his reality. Would never want Babar like that. Emulate Imran.Thats the Advice .Never Kohli.

His persona has made him the biggest icon of cricket today. If Babar achieves 50% of his stardom, it will greatly benefit Pakistan cricket. I personally like don’t care if he is vulgar or not.

 

[MenInG]

Trust some to embark on Babar's character assassination. Normal service.

Here's a hint.

Appreciate his genius and be proud that he is a Pakistani (for those interested in Pakistan)

 

[Mamoon]

[MENTION=142432]Titan24[/MENTION]

Smith and Root aren’t superstars but Australian and English cricket are bigger brands than Pakistan cricket.

Pakistan desperately needs superstar players and it will benefit the brand of Pakistan cricket significantly if Babar becomes a highly marketable athlete.

 

[Rana]

Babar should not have reacted the way he did. The journalist said nothing offensive, but because of his poor grasp of English, he took her words in a literal fashion and lashed out.



The majority of my extended family are British Pakistanis. I spent every summer of my life until 2015 in the UK. Why do you think I support England as my second team?



Again, there is a difference between football and cricket. Football is a true global sport by played by hundreds of countries that have no link English.

Cricket is a unique sport that is primarily played by commonwealth countries, and thus, English has become the de facto official language of cricket.

A cricket captain cannot avoid communicating in English. There won’t always be a translator available. Hence, it is important for players to be effective communicators in English.

In all other jobs where you are required to communicate with people, you are asked to work on your communication skills. You have to make presentations, address large crowds, meet people etc. etc., and public speaking skills take you a long way.

A cricket captain has no different. He has to communicate on a regular basis and it’s imperative that he possesses good communication skills.

Pakistani captains and players are found wanting on this front and it has created plenty of embarrassing situations. There is no absolutely no harm in players like Babar improving their English speaking proficiency.

It was embarrassing to hear Sarfraz talk. He gave a very bad impression of Pakistani society, and “boys played well” became a running joke during Inzamam’s tenure.

I want Pakistan to avoid such embarrassment and not get stereotyped for the funny English of its players. It bothers and that is why this is my stance. If if doesn’t bother you or others then that is your stance.

Again, a load of nonsense. Babar has been resigned by Somerset for their T20 and County season, his poor English did not play a hindering role in the Somerset management and captain to reconsider him as their overseas investment.

You live on a different planet mate.

 

[Bewal Express]

Trust some to embark on Babar's character assassination. Normal service.

Here's a hint.

Appreciate his genius and be proud that he is a Pakistani (for those interested in Pakistan)

Some people are not proud being PK, don't support PK, in fact they will look for anything to prove their narrative. Babar is looking great, his confidence has grown and will continue to grow. He will have dips as tougher tests lie ahead but we have a gem. Since I have seen watching, we have produced only 6 top batsman and that spans nearly 40 years- JM, Inzi, MY, YK, Saeed Anwar and now Babar.

 

[shariqnoor]

Not being able to speak fluent English is not a slight on anyone.

I think the point is that if Babar was able to speak better English in order to communicate well globally, it would help his overall stature in the game of cricket. Marketers like sportsmen who can be marketed globally. At this point of time, over the past couple of years, Babar has been comfortably ahead of Joe Root yet Babar has not been able to break through that barrier of the Big 4. Documentaries will be made of the Big 4 but Babar gets left behind.

Wasim Akram is no doubt one of the all time greats of the game but I would say Javed Miandad was on par with Wasim Akram. But Miandad couldn't speak English that well as Wasim could and you could see how Wasim is revered globally and mentioned everywhere with invites to literally every ceremony.

English has nothing to do with how one bats or bowls, but as a sportsman especially in the game of cricket, if Babar can speak as well as Azhar Ali or Shan Masood can, it will just elevate his stature in the game. If Azhar Ali or Shan Masood had the ability of Babar, you would see how their standing in the game would've changed.

People don't need to take it as an affront for suggesting that players in Pakistan should learn to speak English properly. The people who are able to speak English are privileged and not everyone has that privilege available to them but one can at least try. Which is why I was impressed at how Shadab has improved his ability to speak English.

In this day and age, media is an unavoidable part of cricket and you can't just go by "boys played well", "coach gave me confidence", "played my natural game". You've got to be able to articulate your thought process.

Babar is the greatest batting talent of Pakistan ever since we got our last great batsman in Younis Khan. It would be a massive boost for all aspiring kids in Pakistan if the world puts Babar on the same pedestal after 10 years as it put Wasim Akram. But for that, Babar would need to articulate himself.

 

[Mamoon]

Again, a load of nonsense. Babar has been resigned by Somerset for their T20 and County season, his poor English did not play a hindering role in the Somerset management and captain to reconsider him as their overseas investment.

You live on a different planet mate.

I live on a planet where of Babar improves his marketability:

- he will increase his earning potential: he will get more sponsorship deals, more advertisements and potentially a big money contract for sporting equipment.

- Because of years of mediocrity and lack of star quality, Pakistan cricket’s brand has diminished. An IPL franchise like Mumbai Indians is probably more marketable than the Pakistan national team.

- the development of a superstar, which babar can be, will enhance Pakistan cricket’s brand. Pakistan cricket has not had a proper icon for so many years.

If someone like Babar ends up having a big contract with Adidas, New Balance or Puma, it could potentially lead to Pakistan getting a kit sponsorship deal with these companies.

There are so many other benefits for both Babar and Pakistan cricket if he becomes a proper marketable athlete.

 

[Mamoon]

Some people have become so used to Pakistan cricket’s mediocrity that they get offended when you tell them that Pakistan lacks marketable players and needs to enhance the brand value of Pakistan cricket.

These people deserve third rate kit manufactures like Boom Boom and Hunt, third rate sponsors like Gogo Paan masala and captains with “boys played well” English.

Apparently it makes them feel proud and nationalistic. Well good for them.

 

[Rana]

Some people have become so used to Pakistan cricket’s mediocrity that they get offended when you tell them that Pakistan lacks marketable players and needs to enhance the brand value of Pakistan cricket.

These people deserve third rate kit manufactures like Boom Boom and Hunt, third rate sponsors like Gogo Paan masala and captains with “boys played well” English.

Apparently it makes them feel proud and nationalistic. Well good for them.

Yeah let’s upgrade our boys played well English to ‘OK sir, thank you sir English’. That’s marketable.

You have so many ideas but quite plainly no idea of how these ideas are actually going to come into plan in reality. Do you think good cricket fans don’t want Pakistan to have kit manufacturers like Adidas and New Balance as their provider? Or it’s star players such as Babar, Fakhar, Imam, Amir etc become brand ambassadors for Hublot or Rolex etc.

Come off it mate, no one here is stupid. Stop using India as the model of perfect success and then demand immediate transformation from guys who are year 8-9 drop outs pursuing professional cricket as a career.

Mumbai Indians is a bigger brand than PCB? Who are we arguing with over here?

It’s like saying Barcelona is a bigger brand Argentina national team

 

[Slog]

He is not presentable. He doesn’t have the appearance of a star and his communication skills are weak. The examples of Messi, Ronaldo and Nadal are useless ne hadd cricket is different.

It is primarily played in commonwealth countries and the influence of English is huge on the game. English is the de facto official language of cricket.

All the terms are in English and even in domestic cricket if you say “kaisay tha” instead of “Howzat” while appealing, even the umpire will wonder if you are okay.

English is not the official language in football or tennis. They are proper global sports played by countries that are not commonwealth or have no influence of English.

A cricket captain cannot avoid speaking English. He has to communicate regularly and it is important that he works on his English speaking skills. Soft skills are important in all fields and cricket is no different.

If Kohli spoke English like Umar Akmal it would hurt his image.

If you are happy to see Pakistani players get embarrassed because of their inability to communicate properly, well good for you.

Few months back, Babar was lashing out on at a journalist on Twitter because she called him Mickey Arthur’s son. The poor guy thought she was abusing him.

This is not finding negatives. What I am suggesting will benefit both him and Pakistan cricket, but well done on putting a negative spin on it.

Tendulkar was as interesting and charismatic in terms of personality as a box of paint and that didn’t stop him from becoming among the greatest in legacy and marketability because he did his primary job wrkl

 

[MenInG]

The subject is Babar Azam and what he is doing for Pakistan cricket. No need to bring in India into it.

 

[Slog]

Mushfiq and Shakib’s presence wouldn’t have impacted Babar, but Bangladesh would have definitely scored more runs. You can act like their absence makes no difference if it makes you happy.

Lol Australia missing smith and Warner didn’t directly lead to losing series to India at home but Mushfiq and Shakib the ATGs impact Bangladesh...

 

[Mamoon]

Tendulkar was as interesting and charismatic in terms of personality as a box of paint and that didn’t stop him from becoming among the greatest in legacy and marketability because he did his primary job wrkl

Tendulkar was a player from a different era and was subjected to different circumstances.

Cricket was not a commercial and marketable sport like it is today. He emerged as a 16 year old instantly become the hero of an entire nation.

If Tendulkar would have emerged in today’s India under the captaincy of Kohli, he would not have become a superstar with the same lack of personality.

 

[Mamoon]

Lol Australia missing smith and Warner didn’t directly lead to losing series to India at home but Mushfiq and Shakib the ATGs impact Bangladesh...

Not saying Bangladesh would have won but they would have scored more runs over across all formats. I don’t think that is even up for debate. Both are miles ahead of other Bangladeshi batsmen.

 

[Mamoon]

Yeah let’s upgrade our boys played well English to ‘OK sir, thank you sir English’. That’s marketable.

You have so many ideas but quite plainly no idea of how these ideas are actually going to come into plan in reality. Do you think good cricket fans don’t want Pakistan to have kit manufacturers like Adidas and New Balance as their provider? Or it’s star players such as Babar, Fakhar, Imam, Amir etc become brand ambassadors for Hublot or Rolex etc.

Come off it mate, no one here is stupid. Stop using India as the model of perfect success and then demand immediate transformation from guys who are year 8-9 drop outs pursuing professional cricket as a career.

Mumbai Indians is a bigger brand than PCB? Who are we arguing with over here?

It’s like saying Barcelona is a bigger brand Argentina national team

Looking at this thread, it does seem to be the case. People have foam in their mouths at the mere suggestion that Babar should become marketable because it will benefit both him and Pakistan cricket.

A team only becomes marketable when it has marketable players. Pakistan has none these days, but Babar could become one.

FC Barcelona is a bigger brand than Argentina national team. I don’t have to explain to you why and how.

 

[FreePalestine]

Trust some to embark on Babar's character assassination. Normal service.

Here's a hint.

Appreciate his genius and be proud that he is a Pakistani (for those interested in Pakistan)

Bump this. What a ridiculous discussion. Of course he should stay humble and committed to his cricket. Williamson, Smith, Root are not extroverts, and their brands are fine. I don’t really care if Babar Azam is or is not interesting to the English speaking media, I just want him to keep scoring runs for Pakistan.

Yousuf, Inzi, Misbah are all well respected around the world for their batting talent, not their twitter pages.

Selfie and Akmal are examples where things went wrong. Why would anyone want him to change his personality?

 

[Usman Chadda]

The subject is Babar Azam and what he is doing for Pakistan cricket. No need to bring in India into it.

Honestly, you guys here are very patient. We literally have a new wave of annoying India-worshipping Pakistanis. It's very hard to not get personal with this lot. Hats off to the admins here.

Babar is fine as he is. This infatuation with turning him into a shodaybaaz launda is childish to say the least. He can be a brand based on his batting exploits alone, and I would prefer if he stays out of the limelight. Cricketers who have tried to step into the limelight have literally destroyed their careers.