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

[trickyone]

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.

That's POTW material right here. He needs to hire someone in his personal capacity and this is what Pakistan cricket needs at the moment...

 

[TrentDevil]

Hey guys! Nice to be a part of this forum

Coming to the topic, I feel that what has happened with Akmals over the years also had a role to play in the making of Babar Azam. Akmals, esp Umar and Kami were also hyped as the next big thing or some even considered them to be the best when they came into the national fold, but ultimately couldn't handle all the fame and praises thrown upon them. They developed this superstar syndrome and with Pak management pursuing with them for years despite their failures, all their media friends crying if they ever dropped, as a result they became an integral part of Pak national team and they didn't deserve that at all.
But in last few years, it has changed rather dramatically and Akmals have disgraced themselves and made a joke out of themselves, thus bringing humiliation upon themselves, people don't want them anywhere close to the national team and rightly so, there have even been calls to ban them from domestic esp in the case of Mr. Umar talent Akmal.

I feel all this has happened for a good reason, it has meant that Babar has got it clear in his head that he doesn't want to end up on the same side as his tainted cousin brigade. There is no substitute for hardwork and Babar truly has put his emphasis on that.

Regarding the notion that Babar the person(not cricketer) should become an ultimate marketable piece, I would strongly be against it. Babar has managed to keep his head in place despite all the praise and hyping up and comparisons which keep coming every now and then and that is a remarkable feat in itself imo for a Pakistani player esp batsman, I have seen many of Pakistani batsmen going off the rails as soon as some good remarks are made about them, particularly in the last decade. I remember once Jr. Akmal was asked what would he say about people comparing him with Kolhi, I think it was a presser during 2015WC, and he replied with something along these lines, "you can't compare him with me, he bats at #3 and I bat at #5 or #6", that was such a nonsensical reply and his attitude along with his performancesp made it even worse.
Fast forward it to whenever Babar is asked about Kolhi comparison, his replies along these lines, "Please don't compare me with Kohli, I am nowhere near him, he is a big player and I want to be like him and win matches for my team and so on".

This simplicity is what makes Babar great and I doubt anyone would want to change it. This simplicity of his will take him to great places and he is on track the be the greatest batsman Pak has ever produced. And every youngster in Pak who idolises him is gonna realise that hardwork and not "more talented than Tendulkar ever was" is gonna make you a star. They have been numerous Pakistani batsmen who have tried to become wannabe Kohlis and try to be ultimate marketable players but have ended up as disasters.

 

[Usman Chadda]

Hey guys! Nice to be a part of this forum

Coming to the topic, I feel that what has happened with Akmals over the years also had a role to play in the making of Babar Azam. Akmals, esp Umar and Kami were also hyped as the next big thing or some even considered them to be the best when they came into the national fold, but ultimately couldn't handle all the fame and praises thrown upon them. They developed this superstar syndrome and with Pak management pursuing with them for years despite their failures, all their media friends crying if they ever dropped, as a result they became an integral part of Pak national team and they didn't deserve that at all.
But in last few years, it has changed rather dramatically and Akmals have disgraced themselves and made a joke out of themselves, thus bringing humiliation upon themselves, people don't want them anywhere close to the national team and rightly so, there have even been calls to ban them from domestic esp in the case of Mr. Umar talent Akmal.

I feel all this has happened for a good reason, it has meant that Babar has got it clear in his head that he doesn't want to end up on the same side as his tainted cousin brigade. There is no substitute for hardwork and Babar truly has put his emphasis on that.

Regarding the notion that Babar the person(not cricketer) should become an ultimate marketable piece, I would strongly be against it. Babar has managed to keep his head in place despite all the praise and hyping up and comparisons which keep coming every now and then and that is a remarkable feat in itself imo for a Pakistani player esp batsman, I have seen many of Pakistani batsmen going off the rails as soon as some good remarks are made about them, particularly in the last decade. I remember once Jr. Akmal was asked what would he say about people comparing him with Kolhi, I think it was a presser during 2015WC, and he replied with something along these lines, "you can't compare him with me, he bats at #3 and I bat at #5 or #6", that was such a nonsensical reply and his attitude along with his performancesp made it even worse.
Fast forward it to whenever Babar is asked about Kolhi comparison, his replies along these lines, "Please don't compare me with Kohli, I am nowhere near him, he is a big player and I want to be like him and win matches for my team and so on".

This simplicity is what makes Babar great and I doubt anyone would want to change it. This simplicity of his will take him to great places and he is on track the be the greatest batsman Pak has ever produced. And every youngster in Pak who idolises him is gonna realise that hardwork and not "more talented than Tendulkar ever was" is gonna make you a star. They have been numerous Pakistani batsmen who have tried to become wannabe Kohlis and try to be ultimate marketable players but have ended up as disasters.

Outstanding first post. Completely agreed with every word.

Babar should remain Babar. Just work hard and strive to be the best version of himself. Will be a sad day when these teenage insecurities creep into him and he decides to go the shoda route.

 

[Buffet]

Babar should stick to basics and score lots of runs. Any talk about him revolutione Pakistan's batting or him being ATG etc is just a distraction.

Score lots of runs, keep improving and have fun while doing it.

 

[Mamoon]

The idea that Babar will turn into another Akmal or Shehzad if he focuses on his improving his marketability is just nonsense.

There are countless examples of cricketing superstars and also superstars in other sports who invested a lot in their appearance and persona but it didn’t deter them from working hard and maintaining their priorities.

If you are not focused on your game, you will lose your way even if you don’t focus on your brand.

However, if you are focused and have a strong work ethic, which Babar certainly has, working on your English proficiency and improving your appearance will not hurt your game.

It is a misconception that you have to be a pappu bacha to be a successful cricketer. Take a look and Imran’s example - while he had natural good looks, he was a proper party animal during his cricketing days and lived a lifestyle that was contrary to Pakistani norms and traditions, but it didn’t impact his cricket career because he knew where to draw the line.

Examples of Younis, Inzamam and Misbah are useless. None of these players were superstars and none of them made Pakistan cricket more marketable. None of them have any proper fan following outside Pakistani cricket supporters.

Having superstars lifts the profile of the team that you play for. Babar has a great opportunity to become not only a world class batsman but also a brand.

I hope he doesn’t listen to some of the posters here who thrive in mediocrity and makes an effort to boost his marketability which will greatly benefit Pakistan cricket.

Pakistan cricket badly needs superstars. For some people, superstar means clowns like Umar or show-offs like Hasan and Shadab. There is a big difference.

 

[shariqnoor]

The idea that Babar will turn into another Akmal or Shehzad if he focuses on his improving his marketability is just nonsense.

There are countless examples of cricketing superstars and also superstars in other sports who invested a lot in their appearance and persona but it didn’t deter them from working hard and maintaining their priorities.

If you are not focused on your game, you will lose your way even if you don’t focus on your brand.

However, if you are focused and have a strong work ethic, which Babar certainly has, working on your English proficiency and improving your appearance will not hurt your game.

It is a misconception that you have to be a pappu bacha to be a successful cricketer. Take a look and Imran’s example - while he had natural good looks, he was a proper party animal during his cricketing days and lived a lifestyle that was contrary to Pakistani norms and traditions, but it didn’t impact his cricket career because he knew where to draw the line.

Examples of Younis, Inzamam and Misbah are useless. None of these players were superstars and none of them made Pakistan cricket more marketable. None of them have any proper fan following outside Pakistani cricket supporters.

Having superstars lifts the profile of the team that you play for. Babar has a great opportunity to become not only a world class batsman but also a brand.

I hope he doesn’t listen to some of the posters here who thrive in mediocrity and makes an effort to boost his marketability which will greatly benefit Pakistan cricket.

Pakistan cricket badly needs superstars. For some people, superstar means clowns like Umar or show-offs like Hasan and Shadab. There is a big difference.

I don't think people are getting it. Nobody's asking Babar to become a wild extrovert as that belies his nature, but its only in his and Pakistan's interest if he becomes a global superstar that could be marketable. It brings in sponsorships. And for that you need to be articulate.

I don't think after Wasim Akram, we've ever had a global superstar. And he didn't get that stardom simply by being a great bowler. He worked on his persona, English, grooming which is essentially what Babar needs to emulate.

 

[Rana]

I don't think people are getting it. Nobody's asking Babar to become a wild extrovert as that belies his nature, but its only in his and Pakistan's interest if he becomes a global superstar that could be marketable. It brings in sponsorships. And for that you need to be articulate.

I don't think after Wasim Akram, we've ever had a global superstar. And he didn't get that stardom simply by being a great bowler. He worked on his persona, English, grooming which is essentially what Babar needs to emulate.

How do you suggest he does this? We are talking about Babar little Azam here, not Imad ‘I love the cameras’ Wasim, or Mohammad ‘I get Kohli out’ Amir.

 

[ethan hunt]

Babar is a product of school cricket.
Went to lords school in lahore. It has a pretty decent cricket ground.
Pakistan needs better batting coaches at the grass root to inculcate a culture. Get some decent coaches from england to coach the kids and they ll be fine.
Batting is a very different art. You cant just pluck batsmen straight from the streets. Talent can only take you so far.

 

[Hasan123]

He should definitely improve how he deals with the media and his English. Cricket main language is English. He will have to deal with the foreign media a lot as he will be captaning us in 3 formats. So for me he has to do this.

In terms of marketability, it is upto him. Him being presented as a superstar doesn't benefit but not every player wants to be like that. You can't make him be someone who he doesn't want to be.

Being a star and marketable shouldn't affect your game. Most athletes are able to do both. Akmal and Shehzad don't really act like superstars. They act like clowns. So don't get why people bring them into this type of conversation.

 

[TrentDevil]

This Desi obsession with English is just ridiculous. There are numerous superstars from the field of sports who don't speak fluent English and many of them who know it but despite that they prefer to speak in their native language at every event. Cricket has no "language", you don't need to speak English in order to become a great player, your performance will do all the talking like it's doing in Babar's case. Speaking fluent or decent English does nothing, Salman Butt also used to speak good English.

Just take the eg of Khabib, his english is terrible and he has to face media every day and it has zero effect on his stardom, he still is best in the business.

IMO he should actually talk only in Urdu or Punjabi at pressers, match presentations etc, what's even the need of f speaking English?

 

[Saj]

Hey guys! Nice to be a part of this forum

Coming to the topic, I feel that what has happened with Akmals over the years also had a role to play in the making of Babar Azam. Akmals, esp Umar and Kami were also hyped as the next big thing or some even considered them to be the best when they came into the national fold, but ultimately couldn't handle all the fame and praises thrown upon them. They developed this superstar syndrome and with Pak management pursuing with them for years despite their failures, all their media friends crying if they ever dropped, as a result they became an integral part of Pak national team and they didn't deserve that at all.
But in last few years, it has changed rather dramatically and Akmals have disgraced themselves and made a joke out of themselves, thus bringing humiliation upon themselves, people don't want them anywhere close to the national team and rightly so, there have even been calls to ban them from domestic esp in the case of Mr. Umar talent Akmal.

I feel all this has happened for a good reason, it has meant that Babar has got it clear in his head that he doesn't want to end up on the same side as his tainted cousin brigade. There is no substitute for hardwork and Babar truly has put his emphasis on that.

Regarding the notion that Babar the person(not cricketer) should become an ultimate marketable piece, I would strongly be against it. Babar has managed to keep his head in place despite all the praise and hyping up and comparisons which keep coming every now and then and that is a remarkable feat in itself imo for a Pakistani player esp batsman, I have seen many of Pakistani batsmen going off the rails as soon as some good remarks are made about them, particularly in the last decade. I remember once Jr. Akmal was asked what would he say about people comparing him with Kolhi, I think it was a presser during 2015WC, and he replied with something along these lines, "you can't compare him with me, he bats at #3 and I bat at #5 or #6", that was such a nonsensical reply and his attitude along with his performancesp made it even worse.
Fast forward it to whenever Babar is asked about Kolhi comparison, his replies along these lines, "Please don't compare me with Kohli, I am nowhere near him, he is a big player and I want to be like him and win matches for my team and so on".

This simplicity is what makes Babar great and I doubt anyone would want to change it. This simplicity of his will take him to great places and he is on track the be the greatest batsman Pak has ever produced. And every youngster in Pak who idolises him is gonna realise that hardwork and not "more talented than Tendulkar ever was" is gonna make you a star. They have been numerous Pakistani batsmen who have tried to become wannabe Kohlis and try to be ultimate marketable players but have ended up as disasters.

Welcome to PakPassion.

A very good read.

 

[Rana]

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.

Its a pointless discussion but there is no denying that. Mumbai Indians is a bigger brand than CSA, ECB and NZCB also in that case, even ACB's stock has dropped massively since the legends retired and the sandpaper scandal. So its not just Pakistan who are a meek brand as compared to RCB or Mumbai Indians. A country has its own heritage, honours board, history, prestige and a franchise has its own in terms of the investment that goes into it. Lahore Qalandars and Peshawar Zalmi are a bigger brand than WICB going by this logic.

 

[Joseph Gomes]

Babar should focus on being an ATG match winner, which can only happen if he stays humble and hungry for runs. Complacency destroys career. He can rest all he wants after retiring. Before that, he should focus on piling up runs.

 

[Rana]

Babar should focus on being an ATG match winner, which can only happen if he stays humble and hungry for runs. Complacency destroys career. He can rest all he wants after retiring. Before that, he should focus on piling up runs.

Exactly, if he aims for runs, then the brands will come running to him. Nike will come to him with a lifetime sponsorship of £5-10m a year and use him to market their brand in the sub-continent. Their is a market for top designer brands in Pakistan amongst the elite (mainly youth) and these brands would come running to him to be their endorsement. Babar is highly respected amongst the culturally educated for being an articulate batsman in his craft. This is a fact that is undeniable.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Babar doesn't need to be a fake and "re-brand" himself. Continue being Babar and everything will follow like it already is.

 

[Markhor]

This discussion has taken a weird, non cricketing turn.

If Babar intends to become captain in all formats, yes improving his communication skills is necessary to cajole and motivate his players and get the best out of them.

However what is this crap about improving his appearance. In typical Desi Aunty fashion some love to nitpick what someone looks like, what they wear etc.

His primary job is to score runs for Pakistan. That's it. You only become a "cultural icon" if you do your primary job properly and that's what Babar should concentrate on. And he's doing his primary job pretty damn well at the moment.

 

[Mamoon]

I don't think people are getting it. Nobody's asking Babar to become a wild extrovert as that belies his nature, but its only in his and Pakistan's interest if he becomes a global superstar that could be marketable. It brings in sponsorships. And for that you need to be articulate.

I don't think after Wasim Akram, we've ever had a global superstar. And he didn't get that stardom simply by being a great bowler. He worked on his persona, English, grooming which is essentially what Babar needs to emulate.

I think they get it, but they are so used to mediocrity they don’t know what to do. No use of explaining elementary stuff to people who have embraced and are comfortable in their mediocrity.

The bottom-line is that Babar needs to polish himself. It will be beneficial for both him and Pakistan cricket.

 

[Rana]

I think they get it, but they are so used to mediocrity they don’t know what to do. No use of explaining elementary stuff to people who have embraced and are comfortable in their mediocrity.

The bottom-line is that Babar needs to polish himself. It will be beneficial for both him and Pakistan cricket.

Now you are crying again. No one is disputing what you argue, it makes sense. But you don’t seem to have a plan to implement what you think is the way forward for him. How do you realistically expect him to become the Hugh Grant of Pakistani cricket considering he has no basis of proper schooling for this. Please don’t use Shoaib Malik as an example because quite frankly, the guy is still mediocre even as a bigger celebrity than what he was in the past. Nor can you use Shoaib Akhtar or Afridi as examples because they were better brands when they were not allowed to come on TV without PCB restraints.

These guys are not from that kind of background. Its not about mediocrity, Babar is a class guy and I love listening to what he has to say even in Urdu. He is a top lad in the sense that he actually follows the progress of our u19s because he is already looking for the players he needs to build his side in the future. He’s a genuine Pakistan lover at heart and Pakistan loves him, soon the world will love him and it’s because of who he is. Not what we expect him to become.

 

[Mamoon]

Now you are crying again. No one is disputing what you argue, it makes sense. But you don’t seem to have a plan to implement what you think is the way forward for him. How do you realistically expect him to become the Hugh Grant of Pakistani cricket considering he has no basis of proper schooling for this. Please don’t use Shoaib Malik as an example because quite frankly, the guy is still mediocre even as a bigger celebrity than what he was in the past. Nor can you use Shoaib Akhtar or Afridi as examples because they were better brands when they were not allowed to come on TV without PCB restraints.

These guys are not from that kind of background. Its not about mediocrity, Babar is a class guy and I love listening to what he has to say even in Urdu. He is a top lad in the sense that he actually follows the progress of our u19s because he is already looking for the players he needs to build his side in the future. He’s a genuine Pakistan lover at heart and Pakistan loves him, soon the world will love him and it’s because of who he is. Not what we expect him to become.

It is not that difficult. No one expects or demands Babar to turn into Shakespeare. All he needs to do is become an effective communicator in English. He doesn’t have to write essays or research papers. 1 hour every day and he will be proficient in conversational English in no time.

It is about attitude not educational background. Look at Wasim - he couldn’t speak a word of English when he first emerged in the 80’s, and now he commentates on Sky.

In terms of improving his appearance, I won’t get into details because it will get weird and awkward, but he can “fix” certain things which will make him more presentable and marketable.

Google Kohli’s pictures from 2008 and do a side by side comparison and you will get a good idea of what he can do. In fact, Google Hafeez’s picture from 2010 and compare him to today and you will see a noticeable improvement.

In other words - Babar does not need to spend a fortune and neither does he have to impact his focus on cricket. All he needs is gradual “polishing” that will turn him from an average joe kind of guy to someone who looks like an star athlete/celebrity.

As I said, it is not about effort it is about attitude and the realization that he needs to build his brand to maximize his potential as a star. I hope it happens because it will be very beneficial for him and for Pakistan cricket, especially because he will captain the country for a good 10 years.

 

[shariqnoor]

How do you suggest he does this? We are talking about Babar little Azam here, not Imad ‘I love the cameras’ Wasim, or Mohammad ‘I get Kohli out’ Amir.

Joining Somerset was an excellent decision. Needs to keep playing county cricket for the next 10 years. It'll help his communication abilities manifold.

His batting has already won many plaudits worldwide, but why is it that nobody is lining up for interviews with him? Now many will say, what's the point of interviews and limelight? The point is you want to become the face of cricket so that millions of children aspire to become like you.

Afridi is nowhere close to the ability of Babar but boy he sure did know how to market himself. Pakistan cricket desperately needs a superstar right now. 11 year old kids today haven't seen Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram or even for that matter Shoaib Akhtar. They need current heroes. Babar can't just play a good innings and then disappear from sight until the next match comes. He needs to develop a persona. Will be in the greater interest of Pakistan cricket

 

[Rana]

One thing I can agree on is that Babar could do well with a high profile/ British Pakistani or American Pakistani wife. Someone high profile in her profession rather than some super model. A top quality barrister of Doctor. This will be good for him.

 

[Minnowbasher]

One thing I can agree on is that Babar could do well with a high profile/ British Pakistani or American Pakistani wife. Someone high profile in her profession rather than some super model. A top quality barrister of Doctor. This will be good for him.

Agreed, I hope he doesn't go for some model because it could ruin him.

 

[Bigboii]

Agreed, I hope he doesn't go for some model because it could ruin him.

Amir Khan the boxer comes to mind, could have became a great boxer but you know didn't fulfill his potential

 

[Forum363]

Now you are crying again. No one is disputing what you argue, it makes sense. But you don’t seem to have a plan to implement what you think is the way forward for him. How do you realistically expect him to become the Hugh Grant of Pakistani cricket considering he has no basis of proper schooling for this. Please don’t use Shoaib Malik as an example because quite frankly, the guy is still mediocre even as a bigger celebrity than what he was in the past. Nor can you use Shoaib Akhtar or Afridi as examples because they were better brands when they were not allowed to come on TV without PCB restraints.

These guys are not from that kind of background. Its not about mediocrity, Babar is a class guy and I love listening to what he has to say even in Urdu. He is a top lad in the sense that he actually follows the progress of our u19s because he is already looking for the players he needs to build his side in the future. He’s a genuine Pakistan lover at heart and Pakistan loves him, soon the world will love him and it’s because of who he is. Not what we expect him to become.

Top post. What Mamoon is failing to factor in is that improving anything comes at a cost of something.

It is evident that Babar is an extremely hard working cricketer who is always improving his game. Now he has become captain of two formats so he needs to plan and strategise etc. He also clearly follows u19/ domestic cricket.

In order to learn a language and improve his brand etc would be a significant time consuming challenge which would have to come at the expense of something.

 

[Forum363]

Joining Somerset was an excellent decision. Needs to keep playing county cricket for the next 10 years. It'll help his communication abilities manifold.

His batting has already won many plaudits worldwide, but why is it that nobody is lining up for interviews with him? Now many will say, what's the point of interviews and limelight? The point is you want to become the face of cricket so that millions of children aspire to become like you.

Afridi is nowhere close to the ability of Babar but boy he sure did know how to market himself. Pakistan cricket desperately needs a superstar right now. 11 year old kids today haven't seen Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram or even for that matter Shoaib Akhtar. They need current heroes. Babar can't just play a good innings and then disappear from sight until the next match comes. He needs to develop a persona. Will be in the greater interest of Pakistan cricket

Afridi has no idea how to market himself and his brain is sometimes non existent. He has so many incidents which show he knows nothing about public relations, pitch tampering, ball biting, saying women should stay in the kitchen etc.

The only reason Afridi was a superstar was because he was very good looking, with good hair. And his style of cricket was explosive.

In both metrics, Babar will never come close so why should he try. Instead he could become Pakistan’s best ever batsman and potential ATG. His quiet and humble personality suits him well and no reason he should try and become something he’s not.

 

[Ronaldo7]

Afridi has no idea how to market himself and his brain is sometimes non existent. He has so many incidents which show he knows nothing about public relations, pitch tampering, ball biting, saying women should stay in the kitchen etc.

The only reason Afridi was a superstar was because he was very good looking, with good hair. And his style of cricket was explosive.

In both metrics, Babar will never come close so why should he try. Instead he could become Pakistan’s best ever batsman and potential ATG. His quiet and humble personality suits him well and no reason he should try and become something he’s not.

Did you just call Babar ugly?

 

[shariqnoor]

Afridi has no idea how to market himself and his brain is sometimes non existent. He has so many incidents which show he knows nothing about public relations, pitch tampering, ball biting, saying women should stay in the kitchen etc.

The only reason Afridi was a superstar was because he was very good looking, with good hair. And his style of cricket was explosive.

In both metrics, Babar will never come close so why should he try. Instead he could become Pakistan’s best ever batsman and potential ATG. His quiet and humble personality suits him well and no reason he should try and become something he’s not.

Being in the limelight and being humble are not mutually exclusive events. One can remain humble while being in the limelight.

 

[Slog]

I really don’t get why someone who is the PCB cricket system since the age of 13 was not groomed to be a polished personality

 

[sjahmed23]

For him to do that he needs to win 1-2 high pressure matches. Like against India, Inzi and Javaid Miandad (even Afridi to some extent) are remembered because of what they did against India.

 

[tyron_woodley]

For him to do that he needs to win 1-2 high pressure matches. Like against India, Inzi and Javaid Miandad (even Afridi to some extent) are remembered because of what they did against India.

he already beat india in 2017.

 

[sjahmed23]

he already beat india in 2017.

I don't remember him scoring anything big. It was Fakhar Zaman and Hafeez batting quickly.

 

[azimiqbal]

Babar has been incredible lately but I think he needs to do two things to become an all time great

1) needs to convert these 100’s to 200’s and 300’s. That is what all time great players do.

2) he needs to increase his 6 hitting ability , too many times we have seen babar set on a hundred and try’s to clear the boundary and is out. At the moment in ODI And T-20’s sides respect babar but do not fear him , as due to his inability to clear the boundary consistently he cant take the game away from you.

Getting 130 off 120 balls is great but your not taking the game away from the other team.

Imagine if he got 130 off 95 balls ?
That would scare any team he plays agains

 

[Sunny_majoka]

Babar has been incredible lately but I think he needs to do two things to become an all time great

1) needs to convert these 100’s to 200’s and 300’s. That is what all time great players do.

2) he needs to increase his 6 hitting ability , too many times we have seen babar set on a hundred and try’s to clear the boundary and is out. At the moment in ODI And T-20’s sides respect babar but do not fear him , as due to his inability to clear the boundary consistently he cant take the game away from you.

Getting 130 off 120 balls is great but your not taking the game away from the other team.

Imagine if he got 130 off 95 balls ?
That would scare any team he plays agains

From this kind of mentality you can only produce Afridi , Imran Nazir and Umer akmal. However babar's six hitting ability has improved late but he has now started playing according to situation of the match.

 

[Mamoon]

I really don’t get why someone who is the PCB cricket system since the age of 13 was not groomed to be a polished personality

Because PCB has the same attitude as some of the posters here. They don’t believe in grooming their players in spite of the regular embarrassing incidents.

 

[Kroll]

This Desi obsession with English is just ridiculous. There are numerous superstars from the field of sports who don't speak fluent English and many of them who know it but despite that they prefer to speak in their native language at every event. Cricket has no "language", you don't need to speak English in order to become a great player, your performance will do all the talking like it's doing in Babar's case. Speaking fluent or decent English does nothing, Salman Butt also used to speak good English.

Just take the eg of Khabib, his english is terrible and he has to face media every day and it has zero effect on his stardom, he still is best in the business.

IMO he should actually talk only in Urdu or Punjabi at pressers, match presentations etc, what's even the need of f speaking English?

Babar should absolutely be himself and he will develop the necessary soft skills with time. In regards to English, you could argue that he doesn't need to speak it but the reality is that cricket on the world stage is communicated in the English language.

It would definitely broaden his appeal and make him more marketable on the world stage if he has a competent command of the language. This very site is a prime example.

 

[TrentDevil]

Babar should absolutely be himself and he will develop the necessary soft skills with time. In regards to English, you could argue that he doesn't need to speak it but the reality is that cricket on the world stage is communicated in the English language.

It would definitely broaden his appeal and make him more marketable on the world stage if he has a competent command of the language. This very site is a prime example.

When you are a superstar, you can speak in a language that no one understands, the media companies will hire interns, make them learn that language and translate it. Navdeep Saini spoke in Punjabi yday at the presser and you read the headlines in English everywhere.

 

[Usman Chadda]

Threw away a certain double hundred today. Babar needs to take advantage of such situations and propel himself to greater heights.

 

[Forum363]

Being in the limelight and being humble are not mutually exclusive events. One can remain humble while being in the limelight.

He is 25 years old, the captain of Pakistan in two formats and among the best batsman on the planet. How is he not in the limelight?

Or do you think some English lessons would suddenly propel him to international celebrity status....

Also I see you failed to address any of those other points eg Afridi’s amazing marketing skills..

 

[ManFan]

Babar Azam is not the charismatic type.

He is Misbah-ul-Haq with 20X the batting talent.

 

[Mamoon]

He is 25 years old, the captain of Pakistan in two formats and among the best batsman on the planet. How is he not in the limelight?

Or do you think some English lessons would suddenly propel him to international celebrity status....

Also I see you failed to address any of those other points eg Afridi’s amazing marketing skills..

Pakistan is largely an irrelevant team today and becoming the Pakistani captain does not bring you into the limelight.

Sarfraz captained Pakistan to a trophy and beat Kohli in the final but it didn’t help him become a star.

The white kids in Australia, England etc. who are cricket fans probably can’t even recognize him.

If Babar is to become an icon of the game and a superstar he will have to build his own brand and improve his individual marketability, and this in turn will also help the profile of the Pakistan team and improves its fledging brand.

 

[Rana]

Pakistan is largely an irrelevant team today and becoming the Pakistani captain does not bring you into the limelight.

Sarfraz captained Pakistan to a trophy and beat Kohli in the final but it didn’t help him become a star.

The white kids in Australia, England etc. who are cricket fans probably can’t even recognize him.

If Babar is to become an icon of the game and a superstar he will have to build his own brand and improve his individual marketability, and this in turn will also help the profile of the Pakistan team and improves its fledging brand.

HahahahhahHahahaahHahahahHhHhHh

Once again you expose your lack of knowledge of the west. Sarfaraz is a cult hero like monty was. People who follow county cricket and especially the T20 blast know who Sarfaraz is and rate him as a proper lad. He’s a good guy and a good character. Not everyone can be a stud like Sportsman such as Faf or AB. There are other traits even funny ones that can make you popular.

But I don’t know why I am explaining this to you because you have not had that kind of exposure in your life.

 

[Mamoon]

HahahahhahHahahaahHahahahHhHhHh

Once again you expose your lack of knowledge of the west. Sarfaraz is a cult hero like monty was. People who follow county cricket and especially the T20 blast know who Sarfaraz is and rate him as a proper lad. He’s a good guy and a good character. Not everyone can be a stud like Sportsman such as Faf or AB. There are other traits even funny ones that can make you popular.

But I don’t know why I am explaining this to you because you have not had that kind of exposure in your life.

Before you “hahahahahaha”, learn the difference between a cult hero and a star.

If you are a clown like Monty you will be popular but you will not be a star.

Sarfraz might be well-known in certain quarters because of his pot belly, lisp, and the way he was yawning when Rohit was plummeting his bowlers in the World Cup (which became a meme), but he is not a globally recognized and admired cricketer.

Funny traits? This isn’t a circus. Cricketers are not jokers who make people laugh. They are athletes who should be admired and revered.

The point is that in spite of captaining Pakistan in all formats and winning a trophy, that too by beating India in the final, Sarfraz did not become a star and he is not recognized or followed or admired by the kids in Australia, England, New Zealand or even India etc. because there is nothing to admire.

He is a poor cricketer with no personality who captained a team that is considered “small” today. He has been out of the game for a while now and no one is missing him and his absence has not made the headlines.

I am not even sure if his sacking as captain made it to English, Australian and New Zealand sports pages.

 

[Rana]

Before you “hahahahahaha”, learn the difference between a cult hero and a star.

If you are a clown like Monty you will be popular but you will not be a star.

Sarfraz might be well-known in certain quarters because of his pot belly, lisp, and the way he was yawning when Rohit was plummeting his bowlers in the World Cup (which became a meme), but he is not a globally recognized and admired cricketer.

Funny traits? This isn’t a circus. Cricketers are not jokers who make people laugh. They are athletes who should be admired and revered.

The point is that in spite of captaining Pakistan in all formats and winning a trophy, that too by beating India in the final, Sarfraz did not become a star and he is not recognized or followed or admired by the kids in Australia, England, New Zealand or even India etc. because there is nothing to admire.

He is a poor cricketer with no personality who captained a team that is considered “small” today. He has been out of the game for a while now and no one is missing him and his absence has not made the headlines.

I am not even sure if his sacking as captain made it to English, Australian and New Zealand sports pages.

Yeah why would you be sure? You don’t know anything about those cultures.

So first you proved my point about you being wrong about whether people knew Sarfaraz or not. They did and they know him for positive reasons, not because he is completely a joke. He is a lad’s lad kind of guy and would get on well in any cricket dressing room. Going by your logic even Murali was a major clown and not a superstar, and btw I have heard plenty of inside stories of Murali being the biggest clown in the history of cricket.

 

[Mamoon]

Yeah why would you be sure? You don’t know anything about those cultures.

So first you proved my point about you being wrong about whether people knew Sarfaraz or not. They did and they know him for positive reasons, not because he is completely a joke. He is a lad’s lad kind of guy and would get on well in any cricket dressing room. Going by your logic even Murali was a major clown and not a superstar, and btw I have heard plenty of inside stories of Murali being the biggest clown in the history of cricket.

I did not prove your point. I proved your tremendous ignorance and inability to distinguish between a star and a player who might be popular in some quarters for wrong reasons.

“A lad’s lad kind of guy” does not make you a star.

A star is someone that kids want to emulate.

Are you actually arguing that if I go to cricket clubs in England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand etc., rally the white kids and show them a picture of Sarfraz, they would tell me that he is the former captain of Pakistan and a player that they admire and follow?

Are you actually arguing that Sarfraz is a star in these countries when he couldn’t even become a star in his own country in spite of the Champions Trophy?

Muralitharan was neither a clown nor a star. Dressing room stories don’t shape public perception.

Muralitharan was a hugely successful bowling genius and that was the extent of his fame and adulation. He wasn’t a marketable athlete for reasons that do not need to be elaborated.

Once again, if Babar becomes more than just a successful batsman and becomes a true icon of cricket today who becomes someone that kids in other countries want to emulate and follow, it will massively boost the profile of Pakistan cricket.

 

[Mamoon]

I think I am done with explaining myself over and over again. It is pretty clear you only want to argue for the sake of arguing.

I enjoy discourse but not dishonest ones. You clearly understand where I’m coming from but you just want to argue.

 

[Rana]

I think I am done with explaining myself over and over again. It is pretty clear you only want to argue for the sake of arguing.

I enjoy discourse but not dishonest ones. You clearly understand where I’m coming from but you just want to argue.

No the difference is that you are a great fan fiction writer but you are not quite well versed with the reality of how things actually work. If it hurts that your logic is being shredded and thrown into the dustbin, then so be it.

Showing pictures of Sarfaraz to kids is a bit desperate to prove your point. Kids who are privileged to play cricket don’t really know anyone but their own national heroes, the Asian kids are a bit more well versed with the resident country and the country their parents are from. If you think you can show a picture of Kohli to little Ben aged 7, he won’t really know who he is. His big sister Lucy aged 9 most probably won’t know either. Posh mummy Meghan could care less, she just wants the kids out of the home and so gets a bit of time for herself. You don’t have a clue about the culture yet you want to prove your point by showing kids a picture of Sarfaraz. Little Ben knows who Joe Root is however, he will ask his coach Dave to teach him to bat like Root, or hit sixes like Butler.

As for your point about Superstar and clown...Sarfaraz was no clown and nor was Monty. He was not loved by the beer drinking public for being a joke, he was loved because his mannerisms were not your typical pompous and was quite the common guy doing big things for his country at the time.

I know your point but if you are going to use poor old Sarfaraz and his simplicity as a punching bag to demean the guy, you’ve got another thing coming right at you pal. I don’t stand for pointless criticism of people that have not had the opportunity to modernise like myself and others of fortune

 

[Mamoon]

No the difference is that you are a great fan fiction writer but you are not quite well versed with the reality of how things actually work. If it hurts that your logic is being shredded and thrown into the dustbin, then so be it.

Showing pictures of Sarfaraz to kids is a bit desperate to prove your point. Kids who are privileged to play cricket don’t really know anyone but their own national heroes, the Asian kids are a bit more well versed with the resident country and the country their parents are from. If you think you can show a picture of Kohli to little Ben aged 7, he won’t really know who he is. His big sister Lucy aged 9 most probably won’t know either. Posh mummy Meghan could care less, she just wants the kids out of the home and so gets a bit of time for herself. You don’t have a clue about the culture yet you want to prove your point by showing kids a picture of Sarfaraz. Little Ben knows who Joe Root is however, he will ask his coach Dave to teach him to bat like Root, or hit sixes like Butler.

As for your point about Superstar and clown...Sarfaraz was no clown and nor was Monty. He was not loved by the beer drinking public for being a joke, he was loved because his mannerisms were not your typical pompous and was quite the common guy doing big things for his country at the time.

I know your point but if you are going to use poor old Sarfaraz and his simplicity as a punching bag to demean the guy, you’ve got another thing coming right at you pal. I don’t stand for pointless criticism of people that have not had the opportunity to modernise like myself and others of fortune

Logic? Of course logic takes a hit when it is met and countered with pure nonsense

You keep outdoing yourself. Do you actually want to argue that someone like Kohli is as unpopular among the white British cricket kids as Sarfraz? Is that really your argument?

Do you really want to convince me that a 7 year old cricket fan in the UK called Ben does not know who Kohli is?

Do you want to argue that if Babar becomes half the icon of cricket that Kohli is today, it will not benefit Pakistan cricket?

Do you think people like Sarfraz and Monty are the type of stars that will raise Pakistan’s profile?

I thought I won’t be replying to your posts in this thread any longer, but I couldn’t help myself because you keep reaching new lows.

I might read back your posts in this thread because I honestly don’t even know what your point is.

 

[Haripotter]

Pakistan needs a brand among it's cricketers. Barbara Azam is the only player who is marketable player in their setup due to his run scoring prowess.
Anyone who thinks he needs to be silent like Kane Williamson won't help because it's players like boult and mcCullum who make a bigger name than Williamson. Same applies to Pakistan

 

[Rana]

Logic? Of course logic takes a hit when it is met and countered with pure nonsense

You keep outdoing yourself. Do you actually want to argue that someone like Kohli is as unpopular among the white British cricket kids as Sarfraz? Is that really your argument?

Do you really want to convince me that a 7 year old cricket fan in the UK called Ben does not know who Kohli is?

Do you want to argue that if Babar becomes half the icon of cricket that Kohli is today, it will not benefit Pakistan cricket?

Do you think people like Sarfraz and Monty are the type of stars that will raise Pakistan’s profile?

I thought I won’t be replying to your posts in this thread any longer, but I couldn’t help myself because you keep reaching new lows.

I might read back your posts in this thread because I honestly don’t even know what your point is.

First of all, where did I say this?? If you find it hard to grasp my arguments as you have clearly admitted in the past then it would be advisable to probably not even bother, as it seems to be a waste of time for me also.

This was not a comparison between the popularity of Sarfaraz v Kohli in the west, it was a simple counter to your desperate idea of demeaning Sarfaraz by suggesting that you take pictures of him to kids in England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa to see if they know him, and we are not on the right track if they don't.

I have two very serious problems with this. Number 1, why is important for our cricketers to be well known amongst the kids, cricket fans of these Anglophone countries? In fact its darn right offensive. From a postcolonial perspective, it is wrong to want this and it is wrong to value a human being due to what his perception is in the west+supposedly modern society. The sub-continent and in this case Pakistan has a population of kids+ fans far bigger than the combined combination of all of the kids and fans of these 4 countries that you would so dearly like our players to be known in. Do you think that the kids growing up in Pakistan, the kids of privilige and the kids of the streets do not know who Sarfaraz is? Are they not as important in their admiration for him as the kids are in these anglophone countries?

Secondly, you completely missed my point about young children in the West and their knowledge of superstars of cricket. Yes they would know who Kohli or Bumrah is due to mingling with Asian kids who turn up to trainings at the cricket club or school in their India kits, and their raving of these players. This is actually a more London view of it, around surrey, somerset, yorkshire, Glamorgan, Gloucester and other counties that are traditionally British, the view of these outsider players will vary considerably in comparison to Middlesex, Leicestershire or Notts County.

My issue with your statements are that you pass general judgements on this forum under the impression that you are addressing the general public of a 3rd world nation such as Pakistan Ive read your narcissistic posts of the past in which you claim to be from some elite/highly educated family and I guess you are using the same tone of cultural superiority whilst addressing each and every matter. At times you are brilliant, but some of your points do not make any sense because you do not have the exposure that is required to understand certain delicate matters related to western society and class. Going to England on Holiday every summer does not make you one of the westernised liberals. Nor does moving to this country after securing a space at a university or securing a job in a top company.

 

[AdamM97]

It is not that difficult. No one expects or demands Babar to turn into Shakespeare. All he needs to do is become an effective communicator in English. He doesn’t have to write essays or research papers. 1 hour every day and he will be proficient in conversational English in no time.

It is about attitude not educational background. Look at Wasim - he couldn’t speak a word of English when he first emerged in the 80’s, and now he commentates on Sky.

In terms of improving his appearance, I won’t get into details because it will get weird and awkward, but he can “fix” certain things which will make him more presentable and marketable.

Google Kohli’s pictures from 2008 and do a side by side comparison and you will get a good idea of what he can do. In fact, Google Hafeez’s picture from 2010 and compare him to today and you will see a noticeable improvement.

In other words - Babar does not need to spend a fortune and neither does he have to impact his focus on cricket. All he needs is gradual “polishing” that will turn him from an average joe kind of guy to someone who looks like an star athlete/celebrity.

As I said, it is not about effort it is about attitude and the realization that he needs to build his brand to maximize his potential as a star. I hope it happens because it will be very beneficial for him and for Pakistan cricket, especially because he will captain the country for a good 10 years.

It’ll come to him naturally. As Babar grows as a player, he’ll naturally learn how to communicate better in English due to more international exposure. Making him sit down and learn English for 1h everyday is a bit unnecessary imo.

 

[Mamoon]

[MENTION=2016]Rana[/MENTION]

It is not about colonial mentality. I want to see Pakistan cricket raise its profile and become one of the big teams again. That cannot happen unless our players and our team becomes universally admired (in the cricket universe).

The other day, I saw a video of a white kid in Australia copying Bumrah’s action. You would rarely see an Australian or an English bowler or batsman wanting to mimic Wahab Riaz or Junaid Khan.

Warner posted a video of his daughter in Instagram who was playing with a toy bat and was calling herself Kohli after hitting a shot.

You won’t see any white kid call himself or herself Babar or Haris.

As long as our players remain nobodies outside their own profile, Pakistan’s fledging brand will not be enhanced.

Babar has the unique opportunity to become our first batting superstar in modern cricket but he will need to polish himself.

He has all the qualities as a batsman but needs to improve his personality.

I feel that Pakistani fans overreact to the talk of players like Babar etc. building their persona because they haven’t had a proper star in modern cricket, and the ones who have tried to build their brands have turned out to be clowns. That doesn’t mean that Babar will follow the same route or we should not strive to produce marketable athletes.

Pakistan cricketers and the fans need to change their mentality and embrace the realities of modern sports. Cricket is a commercial sport and to be a big team you need marketable athletes.

The only exceptions are first world countries like Australia and England who can survive and be rich without having stars (not saying they don’t, but I hope you get my point), but third world countries like India and Pakistan need to work on producing these big personalities.

India have understood this and the outlook of their cricket has changed, while we are still stuck in our old mentality and taking pride in our players failing to communicate properly and lacking in charisma, because somehow it shows that they are proud of their culture.

We need to modernize our cricket and also make it more secular.

It is time to put an end to the “first of all I would like to thank my seniors and my parents and my uncles and my neighbors and my teachers and my milkman for giving me confidence” type nonsense that has crept into our players.

Plus all the bhai bhai crap etc.

Pakistan cricket needs to go back to the 50s, 60s, 70s etc. where our cricketers were secular and modern. That gave us personalities like Imran, Fazal, Majid, Wasim etc.

Unfortunately because of the increasing radicalizing of our society, we started producing personalities like Inzamam, Ajmal, Sarfraz, Younis, Yousuf, Akmal brothers etc. that tarnished the image of Pakistan cricket. I don’t want to see Babar follow their route.

He is a world class player and will captain the team for 10+ years. He has the opportunity to build his brand and and make Pakistan cricket big again.

You can take shots at my so-called elitism, but this is the truth of modern cricket. If we don’t want to embrace it because we don’t want to come across as elitist or colonial, we will be left behind and the process is already well underway.

 

[Mamoon]

It’ll come to him naturally. As Babar grows as a player, he’ll naturally learn how to communicate better in English due to more international exposure. Making him sit down and learn English for 1h everyday is a bit unnecessary imo.

Taking English lessons every day was just an example. My point is that it takes an effort and won’t happen automatically.

Inzamam can barely communicate after 15 years of exposure, while Wasim went from not speaking a word to commentating for Sky.

Babar will improve only if he wants to, and I hope he does.

 

[happydavy]

I somehow thot that most recent comments on this thread will be why did Babar Azam not get the man of the match award. Thot he deserved it completely for scoring a fast paced century and turning the game in Pakistan's favor.

 

[topspin]

[MENTION=2016]Rana[/MENTION]

It is not about colonial mentality. I want to see Pakistan cricket raise its profile and become one of the big teams again. That cannot happen unless our players and our team becomes universally admired (in the cricket universe).

The other day, I saw a video of a white kid in Australia copying Bumrah’s action. You would rarely see an Australian or an English bowler or batsman wanting to mimic Wahab Riaz or Junaid Khan.

Warner posted a video of his daughter in Instagram who was playing with a toy bat and was calling herself Kohli after hitting a shot.

You won’t see any white kid call himself or herself Babar or Haris.

As long as our players remain nobodies outside their own profile, Pakistan’s fledging brand will not be enhanced.

Babar has the unique opportunity to become our first batting superstar in modern cricket but he will need to polish himself.

He has all the qualities as a batsman but needs to improve his personality.

I feel that Pakistani fans overreact to the talk of players like Babar etc. building their persona because they haven’t had a proper star in modern cricket, and the ones who have tried to build their brands have turned out to be clowns. That doesn’t mean that Babar will follow the same route or we should not strive to produce marketable athletes.

Pakistan cricketers and the fans need to change their mentality and embrace the realities of modern sports. Cricket is a commercial sport and to be a big team you need marketable athletes.

The only exceptions are first world countries like Australia and England who can survive and be rich without having stars (not saying they don’t, but I hope you get my point), but third world countries like India and Pakistan need to work on producing these big personalities.

India have understood this and the outlook of their cricket has changed, while we are still stuck in our old mentality and taking pride in our players failing to communicate properly and lacking in charisma, because somehow it shows that they are proud of their culture.

We need to modernize our cricket and also make it more secular.

It is time to put an end to the “first of all I would like to thank my seniors and my parents and my uncles and my neighbors and my teachers and my milkman for giving me confidence” type nonsense that has crept into our players.

Plus all the bhai bhai crap etc.

Pakistan cricket needs to go back to the 50s, 60s, 70s etc. where our cricketers were secular and modern. That gave us personalities like Imran, Fazal, Majid, Wasim etc.

Unfortunately because of the increasing radicalizing of our society, we started producing personalities like Inzamam, Ajmal, Sarfraz, Younis, Yousuf, Akmal brothers etc. that tarnished the image of Pakistan cricket. I don’t want to see Babar follow their route.

He is a world class player and will captain the team for 10+ years. He has the opportunity to build his brand and and make Pakistan cricket big again.

You can take shots at my so-called elitism, but this is the truth of modern cricket. If we don’t want to embrace it because we don’t want to come across as elitist or colonial, we will be left behind and the process is already well underway.

I'm with you on this. We need to revert back to the pre-Inzy era and it's also vital Pakistan cricket diversifies where it sources their talent, to include cricketers from more elite backgrounds.

 

[shah_1]

Confidence and Superstar aura is something that you have a gift, you can't teach that. Laxman and Misbah can speak decent english yet don't have the superstar aura.


Look at Shoaib Akthar, he spoke broken english but his confidence was unmatched during playing days. Babar Azam will always be like that, and Virat had that confidence from U19 days. Haris Rauf is a superstar material, he has got the natural aggression.

 

[Rana]

Confidence and Superstar aura is something that you have a gift, you can't teach that. Laxman and Misbah can speak decent english yet don't have the superstar aura.


Look at Shoaib Akthar, he spoke broken english but his confidence was unmatched during playing days. Babar Azam will always be like that, and Virat had that confidence from U19 days. Haris Rauf is a superstar material, he has got the natural aggression.

Agreed on Harris Rauf. He’s a bit of a live wire

 

[iPakistani]

As much as I hate to admit it I agree with Mamoon, is it really that hard to shave his unibrow and get a good hair stylist in? Also a bit of learning English every day won't harm him.

 

[Dingolfy]

As much as I hate to admit it I agree with Mamoon, is it really that hard to shave his unibrow and get a good hair stylist in? Also a bit of learning English every day won't harm him.

Even NBA superstar Anthony Davis has unibrow. How does Babar Azam improving his so-called looks will affect the batting culture of Pakistan? We loved Sachin in the 90’s for his batting NOT for his boyish looks.
PCB needs to spend more money to improve the coaching and infrastructure at grassroots level. That is the ONLY way to improve your batting.

 

[Sunny_majoka]

I strongly agree with [MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION]
Babar must groom himself. His first goal should be to learn how to deal with media and how to communicate in English as he is our future captain he can't relay on translater all the time

 

[angrypathan]

[MENTION=2016]Rana[/MENTION]

It is not about colonial mentality. I want to see Pakistan cricket raise its profile and become one of the big teams again. That cannot happen unless our players and our team becomes universally admired (in the cricket universe).

The other day, I saw a video of a white kid in Australia copying Bumrah’s action. You would rarely see an Australian or an English bowler or batsman wanting to mimic Wahab Riaz or Junaid Khan.

Warner posted a video of his daughter in Instagram who was playing with a toy bat and was calling herself Kohli after hitting a shot.

You won’t see any white kid call himself or herself Babar or Haris.

As long as our players remain nobodies outside their own profile, Pakistan’s fledging brand will not be enhanced.

Babar has the unique opportunity to become our first batting superstar in modern cricket but he will need to polish himself.

He has all the qualities as a batsman but needs to improve his personality.

I feel that Pakistani fans overreact to the talk of players like Babar etc. building their persona because they haven’t had a proper star in modern cricket, and the ones who have tried to build their brands have turned out to be clowns. That doesn’t mean that Babar will follow the same route or we should not strive to produce marketable athletes.

Pakistan cricketers and the fans need to change their mentality and embrace the realities of modern sports. Cricket is a commercial sport and to be a big team you need marketable athletes.

The only exceptions are first world countries like Australia and England who can survive and be rich without having stars (not saying they don’t, but I hope you get my point), but third world countries like India and Pakistan need to work on producing these big personalities.

India have understood this and the outlook of their cricket has changed, while we are still stuck in our old mentality and taking pride in our players failing to communicate properly and lacking in charisma, because somehow it shows that they are proud of their culture.

We need to modernize our cricket and also make it more secular.

It is time to put an end to the “first of all I would like to thank my seniors and my parents and my uncles and my neighbors and my teachers and my milkman for giving me confidence” type nonsense that has crept into our players.

Plus all the bhai bhai crap etc.

Pakistan cricket needs to go back to the 50s, 60s, 70s etc. where our cricketers were secular and modern. That gave us personalities like Imran, Fazal, Majid, Wasim etc.

Unfortunately because of the increasing radicalizing of our society, we started producing personalities like Inzamam, Ajmal, Sarfraz, Younis, Yousuf, Akmal brothers etc. that tarnished the image of Pakistan cricket. I don’t want to see Babar follow their route.

He is a world class player and will captain the team for 10+ years. He has the opportunity to build his brand and and make Pakistan cricket big again.

You can take shots at my so-called elitism, but this is the truth of modern cricket. If we don’t want to embrace it because we don’t want to come across as elitist or colonial, we will be left behind and the process is already well underway.

Interestingly Younis Khan was actually against the tableeghi influence on the team. He's on record saying that he didn't like how it created a culture of introversion among the players and that it resulted in far less social interactions with opposition players.

 

[Forum363]

Pakistan is largely an irrelevant team today and becoming the Pakistani captain does not bring you into the limelight.

Sarfraz captained Pakistan to a trophy and beat Kohli in the final but it didn’t help him become a star.

The white kids in Australia, England etc. who are cricket fans probably can’t even recognize him.

If Babar is to become an icon of the game and a superstar he will have to build his own brand and improve his individual marketability, and this in turn will also help the profile of the Pakistan team and improves its fledging brand.

The casual cricket fans in the UK/Ireland absolutely know who Babar is. There are like 6 decent teams who play international cricket. Any casual fan knows about Pakistan and Babar.

If you are talking about the non cricket fan 'white' people, then I doubt the majority of them have ever heard of Shahrukh Khan let alone Kohli.


You are showing the classic Pakistani mentality of backing an original point through logic that is all over the place. Babar has shown incredible improvement and is on track to become our greatest ever batsman. Yet you want to unfairly expect him to change his personality and build a brand - something not done by the likes of Williamson, Root, Smith, Tendulker, Dravid etc.

And how will you judge when he has this brand? When his English is better and when 'white kids' in Australia and England recognise him.... Great logic.

 

[MenInG]

Real treat watching him in flow isnt it! Looks good for a big score today

 

[MenInG]

Real treat watching him in flow isnt it! Looks good for a big score today

Poetry in motion at the moment Babar!

 

[Mueez]

The shots he plays - it’s unreal.

Proper eye candy for Pakistani fans.

 

[MenInG]

Fifty for Babar!

 

[Ryw]

What a classical innings in a T20 game while chasing, those cover drives

 

[Kroll]

Such a tragedy he was blunted out for so long by Misbah otherwise his international reputation would be much established than it is currently.

 

[Sunny_majoka]

It's shame we don't play much international cricket these days. Otherwise he could broke most of the world records in all formats

 

[Abdullah719]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Babar Azam has now become the highest run-scorer at PSL5. Pic courtesy PCB <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PSLV?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PSLV</a> <a href="https://t.co/Oyv8yhVQ4l">pic.twitter.com/Oyv8yhVQ4l</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1238147911759912962?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Dean Jones presenting Babar Azam with the leading run-scorer cap <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PSL5?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PSL5</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LQvKK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LQvKK</a> <a href="https://t.co/MfBGo6ez7t">pic.twitter.com/MfBGo6ez7t</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1238158911540269056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Thunderbolt14]

Good to see Babar getting passionate on the field when the other batsman plays bad shots or unneeded risky strokes. We saw this earlier in Australia as well.

This is how you change a batting culture.

 

[MenInG]

No cricket? no problem for BA

<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 100.000%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/s/1cfjw/utyzwd" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>

 

[ManFan]

Certainly the most recent international world-class player Pakistan has had in the last 14 years.

Last one was Yousuf but he lasted all but a year.

 

[MenInG]

 

[Batsman e Azam]

[MENTION=2016]Rana[/MENTION]

It is not about colonial mentality. I want to see Pakistan cricket raise its profile and become one of the big teams again. That cannot happen unless our players and our team becomes universally admired (in the cricket universe).

The other day, I saw a video of a white kid in Australia copying Bumrah’s action. You would rarely see an Australian or an English bowler or batsman wanting to mimic Wahab Riaz or Junaid Khan.

Warner posted a video of his daughter in Instagram who was playing with a toy bat and was calling herself Kohli after hitting a shot.

You won’t see any white kid call himself or herself Babar or Haris.

As long as our players remain nobodies outside their own profile, Pakistan’s fledging brand will not be enhanced.

Babar has the unique opportunity to become our first batting superstar in modern cricket but he will need to polish himself.

He has all the qualities as a batsman but needs to improve his personality.

I feel that Pakistani fans overreact to the talk of players like Babar etc. building their persona because they haven’t had a proper star in modern cricket, and the ones who have tried to build their brands have turned out to be clowns. That doesn’t mean that Babar will follow the same route or we should not strive to produce marketable athletes.

Pakistan cricketers and the fans need to change their mentality and embrace the realities of modern sports. Cricket is a commercial sport and to be a big team you need marketable athletes.

The only exceptions are first world countries like Australia and England who can survive and be rich without having stars (not saying they don’t, but I hope you get my point), but third world countries like India and Pakistan need to work on producing these big personalities.

India have understood this and the outlook of their cricket has changed, while we are still stuck in our old mentality and taking pride in our players failing to communicate properly and lacking in charisma, because somehow it shows that they are proud of their culture.

We need to modernize our cricket and also make it more secular.

It is time to put an end to the “first of all I would like to thank my seniors and my parents and my uncles and my neighbors and my teachers and my milkman for giving me confidence” type nonsense that has crept into our players.

Plus all the bhai bhai crap etc.

Pakistan cricket needs to go back to the 50s, 60s, 70s etc. where our cricketers were secular and modern. That gave us personalities like Imran, Fazal, Majid, Wasim etc.

Unfortunately because of the increasing radicalizing of our society, we started producing personalities like Inzamam, Ajmal, Sarfraz, Younis, Yousuf, Akmal brothers etc. that tarnished the image of Pakistan cricket. I don’t want to see Babar follow their route.

He is a world class player and will captain the team for 10+ years. He has the opportunity to build his brand and and make Pakistan cricket big again.

You can take shots at my so-called elitism, but this is the truth of modern cricket. If we don’t want to embrace it because we don’t want to come across as elitist or colonial, we will be left behind and the process is already well underway.

Spot on from [MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION]!

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Adil Rashid when asked who he'd currently prefer in white-ball cricket between Virat Kohli & Babar Azam "it's a tough one. I think I've got to go for Babar Azam. They both are world-class players but Babar is in better form" <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/1261273631189065728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[MenInG]

Babar Azam gets a special mention by Mudassar in his latest interview with us

==

PakPassion.net: What do you make of Babar Azam's progress and how far do you think he can go?

Mudassar Nazar: Pakistan supporters dearly need a hero they can believe in and I feel that Babar Azam has all the capabilities to make them happy. For some strange reason, many keep on comparing him to Virat Kohli which is nonsense because right now, the only comparison of Kohli is with the likes of Sachin Tendulkar. Babar will continue to grow and become a great himself, but it will take time. The advent of Covid-19 caused a break in cricket otherwise, he was starting to deliver really well in Test cricket too. I believe he is working hard to improve himself further as there was a time when he was a little suspect outside the off-stump and would frequently get caught in the slips or be caught behind. But as his game stands now, he has the confidence to take on any bowling attack as he did against Dale Steyn who has fantastic outswing, and Babar was in complete command against him. He has already got a Test hundred in Australia and should he get another in England later this summer then he would be all set to move to greater heights in future.


PakPassion.net: Will the pressure of T20I and ODI captaincy prove too much to handle for Babar Azam?

Mudassar Nazar: It depends on the individual as we have seen with many top-class cricketers. Captaincy can inspire cricketers to become better players as was the case in Graeme Smith’s case who became something else when he became captain. Babar is a tough character and he has captained sides before, as he did when he was captain for the Under-16s and also the Under-19s. So, captaincy is not something new for him. Obviously, captaining the national team comes with its own challenges and hazards, especially when we talk about Pakistan but let’s hope he will get accustomed to that as well. However, if we find that captaincy doesn’t work for him like it didn’t for Kapil Dev or Ian Botham, the PCB can always take away the captaincy from him and that shouldn’t be big deal for Babar.

 

[Abdullah719]

Babar Azam has the talent to become a great batsman, says Zaheer Abbas

Babar Azam’s unbelievable consistency across formats has already earned him comparisons with Virat Kohli, the best all-format batsman in the world.

But Javed Miandad, arguably Pakistan’s greatest batsman, recently drew a parallel between his former teammate Zaheer Abbas and the 25-year-old Babar.

It’s difficult to argue with Miandad because Babar, just like Abbas, can make the romantics drool with his majestic strokeplay.

And it was in England that Abbas had announced his arrival with a sublime 274 at Edgbaston in what was his only second Test.

Abbas went on to enjoy great success in English conditions, scoring heavily in country cricket for Gloucestershire.

Now as Pakistan prepare for their first Test series after the Covid-19-enforced break in England, the onus will be on Babar to get the big scores against a world-class English pace attack.

“Definitely the team will depend on him, but one man is not enough to get the victory. Other players have to support him. And the whole team has to play well. It’s not a one-man team. You have 11 players in the team. So everybody has to perform very well,” Abbas told Khaleej Times over phone from London.

“And it’s not difficult because Pakistan have some talented players and they can play well. The key will be how they adjust their game on the seaming wickets. But yes, if Babar, being the vice-captain of the team, plays well, it will make a lot of difference.”

After an inauspicious start to his Test career, Babar has found his feet in the five-day format and his performance against the formidable Australian attack last year even earned praise from Ricky Ponting.

But Abbas reveals what Babar still needs to do to join the pantheon of Pakistan batting legends.

“We are hoping that he will become one of the top batsmen in Pakistan history. He has the talent to do that. If he stays at the wicket for a long time, he will score more consistently. If a batsman doesn’t throw his wicket away, he will always achieve the goal!”

Abbas admitted that shot-selection would be key on the ‘juicy’ wickets against the Stuart Broad-led English attack. “The pitches are quite juicy, so the batsmen have to be very careful in their shot-selection. Also, the English bowlers have been bowling well, especially Broad. He is on top of his game. But this is what you call a challenge,” Abbas said.

“It also depends on the weather. Some days, it’s quite hot in England. So if it’s hot, it will be easier for the batsmen.”

And having the experienced Joe Root as the captain gives England the tactical advantage, according to the former Pakistan skipper.

“I think the main difference in the England-West Indies series was Root’s captaincy. The way he handled the team after missing the first Test was fantastic. And the problem with the Pakistan team is that our captain - Azhar Ali - lacks experience, especially in English conditions.”

https://www.khaleejtimes.com/sport/...t-to-become-a-great-batsman-says-zaheer-abbas

 

[MenInG]

 

[SensiblePakFan]

He should get a hefty bonus from the Karachi owner if he wins this.