Why is Babar Azam not playing the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy?

[Mohammad Aizaz]

I’ve been wondering about this — why is Babar Azam not featuring in the opening round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, when players like Mohammad Rizwan, Agha Salman, Sajid Khan, and Hasan Ali are all playing?


Since the end of the PSL back in May, Babar has only played 3 ODIs vs West Indies over a span of nearly 4.5 months. For a player of his stature, that’s a surprisingly low workload.

What makes it more surprising is that his last outing in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy was in 2019. That means fans and domestic followers haven’t seen him in this competition for three years now.

Other centrally contracted players like Rizwan continue to play domestic cricket regularly. Agha Salman is grinding in red-ball games, Sajid Khan and Hasan Ali are also taking part — so why not Babar?

 

[Major]

Ego.

He will go down the Mohammad Yousuf route if he keeps an ego like that.

Yousuf destroyed his career by doing this. After that record he had in 2006, he also decided to stop playing domestic cricket and played very little.

In their minds, these guys think they are very senior.

Good to see Rizwan is playing domestic. He even shows up for his club in Peshawar aswell

 

[Rana]

PCB instructed some players but he was not instructed

Don’t understand the logic behind this.

 

[Mohammad Aizaz]

Ego.

He will go down the Mohammad Yousuf route if he keeps an ego like that.

Yousuf destroyed his career by doing this. After that record he had in 2006, he also decided to stop playing domestic cricket and played very little.

In their minds, these guys think they are very senior.

Good to see Rizwan is playing domestic. He even shows up for his club in Peshawar aswell

Even if he achieves 50% of what Yousuf did for Pakistan, I would call it a redemption.

 

[Mohammad Aizaz]

PCB instructed some players but he was not instructed

Don’t understand the logic behind this.

Indeed. Gives us a feel that just one guy is being portrayed as bigger than the game. It only hurts the player in the longer run.

 

[ElRaja]

which player has been refined, or levelled up in the QeA trophy, im not arguing for the merit of getting game time, but the QeA Trophy is a substandard tournament, and it does not produce or prepare test cricket ready players.

 

[Rana]

which player has been refined, or levelled up in the QeA trophy, im not arguing for the merit of getting game time, but the QeA Trophy is a substandard tournament, and it does not produce or prepare test cricket ready players.

The point is to give respect to your premier FC red ball competition

 

[ElRaja]

The point is to give respect to your premier FC red ball competition

respect is earned, there is a lack of professionalism from the top to the bottom, why should a few levels in the middle be any different.

 

[Rana]

respect is earned, there is a lack of professionalism from the top to the bottom, why should a few levels in the middle be any different.

What?

So Pakistan cricketers shouldn’t respect their domestic red ball competition because of what issues exactly from top to bottom?

 

[shamaan]

Of Course Babar should be playing in Quaid E Azam Trophy

 

[ElRaja]

What?

So Pakistan cricketers shouldn’t respect their domestic red ball competition because of what issues exactly from top to bottom?

your missing my point. im saying when the organisation dont treat the tournament with the respect it deserves, chopping and changing it at their whims, then why would the players?

 

[Major]

which player has been refined, or levelled up in the QeA trophy, im not arguing for the merit of getting game time, but the QeA Trophy is a substandard tournament, and it does not produce or prepare test cricket ready players.

It helps you get used to the environment, face different kind of bowlers and make you adapt to different situations. Plus, as a senior player it makes you recognize different talents that exists in Pakistan who you can help as a senior player.

Malik, Misbah, and Younis developed their teams in the same domestic structure. Sialkot, SNGPL, Habib Bank and UBL were able to compete teams because Malik, Misbah and Younis were so involved with them that they were in charge of scouting players for their teams. These guys did not earn dressing room respect by their runs but by the leadership they showed and the push they made for others.

Misbahs batting was no where as beautiful, but same domestic refined him to be able to score runs. To be able to dominate against spinners while our top order struggled.

Recently in the Asia Cup, the only guy who knew how to bat on those low quality pitches was Sahibzada Farhan and thats because Farhan grind in the domestic circuit and in the club cricket circuit.

Babar cant play spin. He is struggling against all kinds of bowlers, his strike rate is not helping him at all.

No amount of net practice can teach a player how to play in a match environment

 

[hassan918]

He should be playing a certain number of games. Every player in the central contract should play a minimum number of first class games each season.

 

[Omer2002]

Quaid trophy hasnt even started so how do you know Rizwan and others are playing

 

[ElRaja]

It helps you get used to the environment, face different kind of bowlers and make you adapt to different situations. Plus, as a senior player it makes you recognize different talents that exists in Pakistan who you can help as a senior player.

Malik, Misbah, and Younis developed their teams in the same domestic structure. Sialkot, SNGPL, Habib Bank and UBL were able to compete teams because Malik, Misbah and Younis were so involved with them that they were in charge of scouting players for their teams. These guys did not earn dressing room respect by their runs but by the leadership they showed and the push they made for others.

Misbahs batting was no where as beautiful, but same domestic refined him to be able to score runs. To be able to dominate against spinners while our top order struggled.

Recently in the Asia Cup, the only guy who knew how to bat on those low quality pitches was Sahibzada Farhan and thats because Farhan grind in the domestic circuit and in the club cricket circuit.

Babar cant play spin. He is struggling against all kinds of bowlers, his strike rate is not helping him at all.

No amount of net practice can teach a player how to play in a match environment

your talking about a different era, misbah, malik and younis were all products of the old departmental system. once that system was abolished you simple couldnt reboot it and expect the same results. HBL, UBL, Sui Gas and PIA, etc were all either huge corporations, had player networtks that younger players wanted to leverage, or were tied to the government is some way. turning out for these teams brought u significant long term advantages in an era where league money and post playing career opportunities were limited.

top players now earn enough money in leagues for them not to be beholden to the long term employment of a department, why would rizzy, bobzy, shaheen be beholden to long term employment from WAPDA or State Bank when they accumulate enough money to live on during their playing careers.

your sahibzada farhan argument doesnt really work either, salman agha and hussain talat have as much, if not more domestic experience than farhan, but flopped on the same pitches, which by your argument, they should have thrived on. again, i dont disagree with ur premise, game time is good, but sub standard game time has the potential to make problems worse.

 

[Mohammad Aizaz]

your missing my point. im saying when the organisation dont treat the tournament with the respect it deserves, chopping and changing it at their whims, then why would the players?

A player should respect any form of cricket regardless of what the board does. Especially when the player hasn't scored an international century in 3 years.