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Will Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan look back at their BBL 15 participation as a huge mistake?

Will Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan look back at their BBL 15 participation as a huge mistake?

  • Yes – It hurt their reputation and form

    Votes: 33 89.2%

  • No – Valuable experience despite the criticism

    Votes: 3 8.1%

  • Mixed – Some lessons, but not worth the backlash

    Votes: 1 2.7%
  • Total voters
    37
Rana said:
I don’t understand why he randomly had to reveal to us all that he’s a lawyer on the same evening Rizwan was retired out by Renegades!

I think he went into some deep trauma and woke up with a delusion of being something he isn’t.
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Bro this is like the Bewal Express episode again, when he told us that he was a teacher.

Look at how incoherent they both are with their writing. Obviously freshies trying to impose themselves here as they’re so desperate for validation.
 
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topspin said:
Bro this is like the Bewal Express episode again, when he told us that he was a teacher.

Look at how incoherent they both are with their writing. Obviously freshies trying to impose themselves here as they’re so desperate for validation.
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Poor old @Bewal Express

He finally saw Babar Azam with the “Australian System behind him”.

Must have been devastating for him to watch the cream of Australian cricket’s pride and glory treat Babar like a tailender!
 
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Rana said:
Poor old @Bewal Express

He finally saw Babar Azam with the “Australian System behind him”.

Must have been devastating for him to watch the cream of Australian cricket’s pride and glory treat Babar like a tailender!
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Would love to know if he’s still too young and too classy!
 
RizwanT20Champ said:
Even Kholi and Sharma have struggled in Aus see how they got embarrassed in the test series vs Aus last year.Babar and Rizwan suddenly went from low bounce pitches to bouncy pitches and without time to acclimatize this was bound to happen. Babar still managed 3 match winning knocks with 2 50s. Riz has been more disappointing but he is a keeper and should be judged on his primary discipline first.
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All T20 cricket in Australia

Babar averages 24 at 110 strike rate

Kohli averages 74 at 140+ strike rate.

Very apt comparison.
 
Not a mistake. They got the monies. They know the awaam is too stupid, the board is too corrupt, and the saya corp or any other agency is too shrewd to ensure they stay on the PCB payroll.

For anyone who is in Pakistan, they know the importance of a stable income. Hard-work, skill-building, game-awareness, fitness-diet, and all other stuff is for other countries.
 
This is beyond embarrassing now. Babar should seriously consider stepping away from cricket altogether. And the people saying he should focus on Tests need a reality check too. His red ball record is poor as well. He never really delivered in Tests either. Can anyone name a single matchwinning Test knock against a top side?
 
BouncerGuy said:
As the dust settles on BBL 15, one question looms large for Pakistan cricket fans: Was it worth it for Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan to participate in this season’s Big Bash League? What was billed as a golden opportunity for Pakistan’s premier batting duo to showcase their class on Australian soil has instead turned into a narrative of missed chances, tactical misfires, and growing criticism.

Babar Azam, despite flashes of brilliance—including a composed 47 off 39 in a 141-run stand with Steve Smith—struggled to consistently impose himself in the high-octane T20 environment. His strike rate and inability to accelerate in key moments drew criticism, especially after a viral moment where he was visibly frustrated with Smith for denying a single during a crucial over. That incident, though minor in isolation, became symbolic of a broader narrative: Babar’s discomfort in adapting to the aggressive tempo of the BBL.

Mohammad Rizwan fared no better. His campaign was punctuated by a controversial retired out decision that sparked fierce debate among pundits and fans alike. Intended as a tactical move, it instead became a lightning rod for criticism, with many questioning his form and intent. His innings lacked fluency, and his strike rate remained among the lowest for top-order batters this season.

Both players, once seen as ambassadors of Pakistan’s T20 prowess, now find themselves at the center of a storm. From social media mockery to questions about their adaptability and value in overseas leagues, the fallout has been swift and unforgiving.

So, was BBL 15 a valuable learning curve or a reputational setback for Babar and Rizwan? Have they done more harm than good to their T20 credentials?

Let’s discuss.
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No clue about the Babar/Rizwan looking back, but their BBL franchises will surely give a second thought before re-signing them.
 
Ball Blazer said:
No clue about the Babar/Rizwan looking back, but their BBL franchises will surely give a second thought before re-signing them.
Click to expand...
What about the PSL franchises?

There are reports one franchise has been in contact to make Rizwan captain
 
pakistani pride said:
This is beyond embarrassing now. Babar should seriously consider stepping away from cricket altogether. And the people saying he should focus on Tests need a reality check too. His red ball record is poor as well. He never really delivered in Tests either. Can anyone name a single matchwinning Test knock against a top side?
Click to expand...
Not match winning but he has one match drawing innings. That's about it.

In white ball also. He only has one ATG knock. That too came in 2019 WC against New Zealand
 
DeadlyVenom said:
I hope they haven't torpedoed chances of other Pakistanis
Click to expand...
I don't think that will happen. If a player is outstanding, they will straight away sign him in. For eg Samir Minhas and also the Rh pak pace bowler you can be sure their scouts will be eyeing such guys...
 
CrIc_Mystique said:
I don't think that will happen. If a player is outstanding, they will straight away sign him in. For eg Samir Minhas and also the Rh pak pace bowler you can be sure their scouts will be eyeing such guys...
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I hope so brother but these performances have been so bad that the scouts can automatically doubt anything that comes out of Pakistan.

It has genuinely been that bad. Pakistanis don't play in that many top T20 leagues so I was hoping that they could make an impact both on the field and commercially too.

Thankfully Haris Rauf and Zaman Khan have kept some dignity intact.
 
Rana said:
What about the PSL franchises?

There are reports one franchise has been in contact to make Rizwan captain
Click to expand...
It is unrealistic to expect them to be dropped from PSL, but I think the deliberately play slow and anchor balloon has been burst for them now. So they will have to play properly or risk getting criticised in PSL too now.
 
DeadlyVenom said:
It is unrealistic to expect them to be dropped from PSL, but I think the deliberately play slow and anchor balloon has been burst for them now. So they will have to play properly or risk getting criticised in PSL too now.
Click to expand...
I don’t think they will get criticised in PSL until you remove the entire machine that protects them, commentators:

Ramiz Raja
Amir Sohail
Bazid Khan
Mike Haysmen
Urooj Mumtaz
Sana Mir

- - - Fanboy/girl analysts-

Roha Nadeem
Misbah ul Haq
Behram Qazi
Rashid Latif
Nauman Niaz
Sanaullah Khan
Ejaz Bakhri
Sardar Aurangzeb


I am tempted to name others from here but I’ll leave that from now.
 
Rana said:
I don’t think they will get criticised in PSL until you remove the entire machine that protects them, commentators:

Ramiz Raja
Amir Sohail
Bazid Khan
Mike Haysmen
Urooj Mumtaz
Sana Mir

- - - Fanboy/girl analysts-

Roha Nadeem
Misbah ul Haq
Behram Qazi
Rashid Latif
Nauman Niaz
Sanaullah Khan
Ejaz Bakhri
Sardar Aurangzeb


I am tempted to name others from here but I’ll leave that from now.
Click to expand...
These guys have survived in Pakistan cricket for a long time. They know how things work. How many of them you think genuinely support these individual players.

When the pendulum swings they will move on and forget what they said in the past. That's how they have lasted so long.
 
Babar and Rizwan are getting gigs because of fans. As soon as the general public start evaluating Babar based on performances and not aesthetic drives he will be dropped. It is a shame because a few years ago he was my favorite player. Sad part is that this is not bad patch or bad form. This is his level.
 
BouncerGuy said:
As the dust settles on BBL 15, one question looms large for Pakistan cricket fans: Was it worth it for Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan to participate in this season’s Big Bash League? What was billed as a golden opportunity for Pakistan’s premier batting duo to showcase their class on Australian soil has instead turned into a narrative of missed chances, tactical misfires, and growing criticism.

Babar Azam, despite flashes of brilliance—including a composed 47 off 39 in a 141-run stand with Steve Smith—struggled to consistently impose himself in the high-octane T20 environment. His strike rate and inability to accelerate in key moments drew criticism, especially after a viral moment where he was visibly frustrated with Smith for denying a single during a crucial over. That incident, though minor in isolation, became symbolic of a broader narrative: Babar’s discomfort in adapting to the aggressive tempo of the BBL.

Mohammad Rizwan fared no better. His campaign was punctuated by a controversial retired out decision that sparked fierce debate among pundits and fans alike. Intended as a tactical move, it instead became a lightning rod for criticism, with many questioning his form and intent. His innings lacked fluency, and his strike rate remained among the lowest for top-order batters this season.

Both players, once seen as ambassadors of Pakistan’s T20 prowess, now find themselves at the center of a storm. From social media mockery to questions about their adaptability and value in overseas leagues, the fallout has been swift and unforgiving.

So, was BBL 15 a valuable learning curve or a reputational setback for Babar and Rizwan? Have they done more harm than good to their T20 credentials?

Let’s discuss.
Click to expand...

Amend the title of the thread from:

Will Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan look back at their BBL 15 participation as a huge mistake?​

to:

Will the BBL sides look back at the decision to acquire the services of Babar and Rizwan as a huge mistake?​


This is because the mistakes made by both Babar and Rizwan stems from their incompetent batting not from their decision to sign up and play in this league.
 
gazza619 said:
Of course they were paid. They are professionals.

They challenged themselves. It didnt pay off. Such is life. No crime was committed.
Click to expand...
My point is that participating in a domestic tournament for half a million dollars is not a display of commitment or determination as you put it - he’s lucky to be asked to play given that he’s had very ordinary T20 numbers these past few years.
 
Hilarious story on cricinfo his captain claims it took babar two days to get over a decision by Steven smith to deny him a single so smith can keep a strike
 
There atrocious performances shouldn't be surprising. I actually hope, BBL teams won't start excluding Pakistani batters on basis of these two.

Pakistan does have and/or could have batters capable of playing BBL.
 
zahid01 said:
Hilarious story on cricinfo his captain claims it took babar two days to get over a decision by Steven smith to deny him a single so smith can keep a strike
Click to expand...

it just shows Babar has big ego and all he cares about is himself and his PR. He was nt upset for failures in next two matches. What upsets him is his PR going down the drain. Babar is all about himself
 
Wasim Ghulam said:
it just shows Babar has big ego and all he cares about is himself and his PR. He was nt upset for failures in next two matches. What upsets him is his PR going down the drain. Babar is all about himself
Click to expand...
Even in WT20 2022 when RizBar were struggling up top and Hayden recommended to bring Mo Haris in to give some injection to the innings. He never got an opportunity to open the innings.

Even in the Semi Final and Final when the fans were asking for Haris, he came to bat below RizBar.

It may have well costed us a WT20
 
TheSultan said:
These two have almost identical strike in the BBL rates rounded to about 103. Either opening or batting one down.

This is a national embarassment. Worse than spot fixing. This sort of image of Pakistan being portrayed to the world is no less than a 5 year ban.

Disgusting.
Click to expand...
calm down
 
BouncerGuy said:
Keep your hatred away and see their contributions... Shall I paste here the records of these guys????
Click to expand...
Please do. If you are calling my opinion as hatred than your opinion is of a blind fanboy. How many more times you want them to humiliate themselves?
 
TheSultan said:
These two have almost identical strike in the BBL rates rounded to about 103. Either opening or batting one down.

This is a national embarassment. Worse than spot fixing. This sort of image of Pakistan being portrayed to the world is no less than a 5 year ban.

Disgusting.
Click to expand...
Afghanistan is known for spinners in the franchise market but I think even their batsmen would not be anywhere near as embarrassing as these two have been whilst representing Pakistan’s brand image.

It’s simply a case of these two wanting to demonstrate that their approach fits in the modern game and not that they intend to adapt to what is considered the correct modern approach. Rizwan you could sense wanted to show some improvement in his approach as the season went on but he was simply caught out because he just doesn’t have it in him.

Babar on the other hand is bricking it on these decks. You could see the pressure on his face when he did a slight misfield in the 18th over and when the score was reaching close to 140ish.

He has one last chance at Sydney on Friday, a deck which he is mentally comfortable playing on but then he has to play that dreadful final again at the Gabba if his team succeeds.

Personally he would want the PCB to extend an olive branch and call him home for the series against Australia. He would love to just get the hell out of here as soon as he can!
 
I don't know whether they will see it as a mistake or not but I am glad that they participated

To me, what's happening to them is poetic justice after what have they done to many T20 openers and Pak Cricket

These two opened for Pakistan while Fakhar Zaman and Sharjeel Khan were available

What goes around, comes around
 
BBL FRANCHISES will be thinking about their decision for sure... Rizwan was miserable and babar failed badly as well... Both these guys need to find a clear way and settle down instead of going to BBL
 
tiger_khan said:
I don't know whether they will see it as a mistake or not but I am glad that they participated

To me, what's happening to them is poetic justice after what have they done to many T20 openers and Pak Cricket

These two opened for Pakistan while Fakhar Zaman and Sharjeel Khan were available

What goes around, comes around
Click to expand...
In Hindsight , RizBar chasing 152 against India in 2021 did more damage to Pak cricket than benefit
 
Devadwal said:
They have sent their preliminary squad to the ICC without revealing it. Perhaps they don't want to reveal their trump card to other teams. :klopp :kp
Click to expand...
Why is PCB always so eccentric?

Is there some Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar level talent that they are hiding from other teams.
 
Wasim Ghulam said:
In Hindsight , RizBar chasing 152 against India in 2021 did more damage to Pak cricket than benefit
Click to expand...

In a way you are correct

It gave the pair the false confidence that their version of cricket is suitable for the T20 format

Unfortunately, their version of T20 Cricket has not worked out well for Pakistan

However, I do believe that the circumstances and the PCB's overall planning are great contributors to Senior players' behaviors

Pragmatically speaking, yes Babar and Rizwan are not T20 players. But most of the games being scheduled by the PCB are T20s. If the senior players who play classic cricket are not going to get enough ODIs and Tests during the year, they will use their power and influences to play T20. They want to make money too

In my opinion, players like Babar and Rizwan would not force themselves into T20 teams if they were getting enough ODIs and Test matches during the year

I think the problem is more of players' financial ambitions than we think.
 
BouncerGuy said:
Give them the link to the final Pakistan won against India in the Asia Cup... They might be missing those 3 back to back wins against India.
Click to expand...
Didn't we win the trophy when Farhan had 120 SR across those 3 games and hit 2 chikkay? We removed our problems Babar Rizwan in those games so of course we won all 3.
 
YousafTheBeast said:
By 2035, Babar will be 40 and I will finally be free of seeing RizBarians with their cretinous posts.
Click to expand...
If I’m still alive Inshallah, I will still continue to torture you and others who have been insincere to the cause of Pakistan cricket till the year 2070
 
RizwanT20Champ said:
Do you know the highest scores in T20 WCs between India and Pakistan? We failed to chase 120 in 2024....152 was always challenging even if batting second made it a little easier.
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You cant say we would nt have chased it Either.

Yes we failed to chase 120 because Rizwan played a brilliant knock like Asia cup 2022 Final
 
Wasim Ghulam said:
You cant say we would nt have chased it Either.

Yes we failed to chase 120 because Rizwan played a brilliant knock like Asia cup 2022 Final
Click to expand...
You are avoiding my question like a coward. What is our highest score vs India in T20 WCs? You are downplaying 152/0 as if we have been routinely thrashing India in WCs.


So 152/0 was not a big deal because anyone could have chased but 120 was not chased because of Rizwan and not because hero Imad Wasim stunk up the joint. Pure hater.
 
RizwanT20Champ said:
You are avoiding my question like a coward. What is our highest score vs India in T20 WCs? You are downplaying 152/0 as if we have been routinely thrashing India in WCs.


So 152/0 was not a big deal because anyone could have chased but 120 was not chased because of Rizwan and not because hero Imad Wasim stunk up the joint. Pure hater.
Click to expand...

Where did i say Winning against India was bad thing in 2021? I said in Hindsight that win did nt benefit us in future because Rizbar Forced themselves onto opening spot Because of that and they clearly were nt meant for it. Do you have comprehension issues?

BTW 120 on NY pitch is difficult chase compared to dew Infested Dubai Chase in Second Innings. SA was 12/4 Against Neth Chasinh 104 on that track. It took India 19 overs to Chase 111 against USA
 
So RizBar performance is seen as worst than spot fixing, if that's not blind hate then what else , shameful
 
Wasim Ghulam said:
Where did i say Winning against India was bad thing in 2021? I said in Hindsight that win did nt benefit us in future because Rizbar Forced themselves onto opening spot Because of that and they clearly were nt meant for it. Do you have comprehension issues?

BTW 120 on NY pitch is difficult chase compared to dew Infested Dubai Chase in Second Innings. SA was 12/4 Against Neth Chasinh 104 on that track. It took India 19 overs to Chase 111 against USA
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You are all over the place. On one hand we did not chase because of Rizwan and when I point out your hero Imad you change track like a coward. Pure hater you are not worth my time. RizBar will keep making you cry, believe that!
 
RizwanT20Champ said:
You are all over the place. On one hand we did not chase because of Rizwan and when I point out your hero Imad you change track like a coward. Pure hater you are not worth my time. RizBar will keep making you cry, believe that!
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haha you are not allowed to call My heroes on My behalf . who gave you that right? If you want to know my Heroes , You can ask me

But i can assure you Rizbar are not. They are the most selfish cricketers i have ever seen and Karma has caught up to them in Complete Humiliation they deserved during BBL
 
Wasim Ghulam said:
haha you are not allowed to call My heroes on My behalf . who gave you that right? If you want to know my Heroes , You can ask me

But i can assure you Rizbar are not. They are the most selfish cricketers i have ever seen and Karma has caught up to them in Complete Humiliation they deserved during BBL
Click to expand...
Still no answer to my question. jog on.
 
Kianig89 said:
Rizwan and Babar were offered BBL contracts , what's wrong in that , they flopped in BBL fair enough , how is this all related or worse than spot fixing ?
:bhajji
Click to expand...
What the Sultan says holds merit. I don’t expect a Chawwal who believes Babar will handle McGrath to understand anyways.
 
Oops

Steve Waugh speaking during BBL game:

"I think they need to re-jig their batting because they're almost entirely reliant on Steve Smith. Sam Curran got them out of jail in another game but he's gone so there's not a lot of players in form.”

"I'm bringing in either (Daniel) Hughes or Jordan Silk and unfortunately I'm going to have to drop Babar Azam. I don't think he's done enough at the top of the order. I know he's world class but you're thinking about winning this tournament and so far he hasn't done it.”

"So I'm thinking about a new opener. You can either have Moises Henriques to open, or bring in Daniel Hughes or Jordan Silk. One of those two, that's the way I'm thinking."

https://twitter.com/x/status/2013900661033681215
 
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jnaveen1980 said:
BBL benefitted a lot though. It was like a car wreck you can't look away. They got more eye balls thanks to bobsie
Click to expand...
Realistically it’s Pakistan cricket that benefitted the most.

Let’s say Babar and Rizwan went to ILT20 and had the same performances and numbers as they did here….

*NOBODY WOULD CARE*

The exposure and eyeballs on this tournament, and the fact that they have become certified outdated is insane! Now, nobody will take them seriously even if they score paltry runs in the PSL
 
I believe BBL franchises deliberately picked players like Babar, Rizwan, Ashwin to get some viewership interest from subcontinent.

Because quite frankly role wise there isn't really a need to waste overseas slots on anchor top order players or defensive fingerspinners.

Will not be surprised if they are called back again next year as well
 
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