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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
Pakistan's Babar to miss Sixers' sudden-death BBL final

Sixers opener recalled immediately by his country ahead of T20 series against Australia

Pakistan star Babar Azam will miss Friday's do-or-die KFC BBL|15 Challenger final for the Sydney Sixers after being recalled by his country immediately ahead of their series against Australia next week.

It means Babar will be absent for the rest of the Sixers' finals campaign should they beat Hobart at the SCG to set up a rematch with the Scorchers in Sunday's BBL Final in Perth.

Pakistan are yet to announce their squad for next month's T20 World Cup but face the Aussies in three 20-over internationals in Lahore from next Friday as a precursor to the global tournament.

In a statement this afternoon, Babar thanked Sixers fans, coaches and players for their support during his time with the club.

"I have very (much) enjoyed my time," he said. "Unfortunately, I will now have to leave the team, to go to the national duty.

"I have a lot of things I have to take back home – a lot of fun, a lot of positive things, so I have enjoyed it a lot.

"Especially, thank you to the Sydney Sixers fans; there is always support there, lot of support, lot of encourage(ment), a lot of fun, so I have very enjoyed that vibe at Sydney Cricket Ground, so thank you so much."

Babar (4,429 runs) is the all-time leading scorer in men's T20Is after overtaking India's Rohit Sharma during Pakistan's series against South Africa in November, but he hasn't been able to reach the same heights in his first stint in the Big Bash.

The Sixers are the only team with a Pakistani player still alive in BBL|15 and Babar's early departure perhaps eases a selection conundrum ahead of their clash with the Hurricanes.

While the 31-year-old has scored two half-centuries in his 202 runs opening the batting, his tournament strike rate of 103 is well below that of his teammates and opening partner's Steve Smith (172) and Daniel Hughes (129).

Babar has only hit three sixes and his tournament strike rate is the lowest in Big Bash history among players to have scored more than 200 runs in a season.

Commentator and former Australian batter Mark Waugh called for the Sixers to drop Babar when speaking on Fox Cricket prior to Wednesday's Hurricanes-Stars Knockout match.

"They need to rejiggle their batting, because at the moment it's almost entirely reliant on Steve Smith," Waugh said.

"At the moment there's not a lot of players in form, so I'm bringing in either (Daniel) Hughes or (Jordan) Silk.

"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 just hasn't done (enough).

"I'm thinking about a new opener."

Veteran left-hander Hughes would be a direct swap at the top of the order having hit 60 earlier in the tournament opening alongside Babar, while captain Moises Henriques could also shift up to the top like he did against Stars on January 8 if the Sixers wanted to get Silk back in the middle order.

Both Hughes and Silk played in the Sixers most recent BBL title wins in BBL|09 and |10.

But like Perth Scorchers have done this season in backing their younger players such Mahli Beardman, Brody Coucy and Cooper Connolly, the Sixers also appear to have entrusted their next generation with greater responsibility with young guns Lachy Shaw, Joel Davies and Jack Edwards getting consistent game time.

"It's an exciting opportunity," Edwards said at the SCG today, "(we're) seeing the future that's there in Joel Davies and Lachy Shaw.

"We got thrown in the deep end the other night (in the Qualifier loss to the Scorchers) and didn't quite handle as well as we could have. But it's a learning opportunity and all we can do is take something away from it, try and get better and if we get put in that situation tomorrow night, hopefully we can take it."

www.cricket.com.au

Pakistan's Babar to miss Sixers' sudden-death BBL final | cricket.com.au

Sixers opener recalled immediately by his country ahead of T20 series against Australia
www.cricket.com.au www.cricket.com.au
 
A good move by the PCB, to take him out of the firing line before his confidence gets shot further.
 
The senior player culture of Pakistan got exposed badly in the BBL.

Usually, we have junior guys like Shadab and Harris playing in BBL, or guys like Tanvir and Arafat who know what the culture of Australian sports.

Babar only played for himself. He was only interested in getting his own runs on board, no effort what so ever. In the end, when he learned he is gonna get dropped, he pulls out. Thats the most pathetic thing you can do in Australia, and their players, writer and commentators tend to remember such things.

As for Rizwan. The t20 wicket keeper spot in the pakistan team is there for grabs. All you have to do is bat at no.6 and score runs aggressively. But i am just surprised how stubborn Rizwan is that he is not willing to change his spots. He still thinks he should be in the squad at the top order position.

Anyways, when you are stubborn and stupid, you lose your place in the national squad eventually
 
Varun said:
A good move by the PCB, to take him out of the firing line before his confidence gets shot further.
Click to expand...
It’s obvious he was being dropped and this was communicated to the PCB, who made up this garbage about pulling him out for international commitments.

These guys missed an international series during the BBL, you think PCB was pulling Babar out for a camp?
 
According to sixers, this no good pr boy is set to return to Pakistan to join National cup.
I guess everyone is happy about this decision except the people of Pakistan (with more than half a brain and open eyes)
 
The amount of hate this guy gets is not nearly enough
Thing is, we need a whole cultural shift in the country itself for everything to take a step forward. This British era attitude of sahabs needs to be completely plucked out for us to advance
 
Usman Chadda said:
It’s obvious he was being dropped and this was communicated to the PCB, who made up this garbage about pulling him out for international commitments.

These guys missed an international series during the BBL, you think PCB was pulling Babar out for a camp?
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Don't think so. This is the final series before World T20 so PCB would want all their best players to be prepping for World T20.
 
Apparently according to some Pakistani posters previously, IPL won't even be able to afford Babar Azam if Pakistani players were allowed in the action, right? :devilish: :ROFLMAO:​
 
Official version: Babar Azam has been ruled out of the remaining BBL matches and will return to Pakistan to begin preparations for upcoming intl fixtures.

Reality : Babar Azam has been dropped from the BBL squad and will head back to Pakistan.

These are his Final Numbers in BBL
Innings : 11
Runs : 202
Avg : 22.44
SR : 103.06

:kp
 
This season is nothing but a social experiment to see how much humiliation a cricketer can endure.

Sometime I just really feel bad for Babar but his 🤡 fans like @RizwanT20Champ etc comes in my mind so he deserve it. :kp
 
so much hate from Indians. Not sure what motivates them for this hate.

As far as we are concerned, we criticize Babar where it's due. The denied single scenario was childish from Babar.

Look, Babar is a good batsmen but he doesn't come close to a Pakistani superstar with character and flamboyance. I'm talking about legends like Imran, Wasim, Waqar, Shoaib, Saeed anwar, Inzi etc - the true superstars. Babar has a fan following but a lot of it only exists on social media and AI.
 
iRfaN_LA said:
so much hate from Indians. Not sure what motivates them for this hate.

As far as we are concerned, we criticize Babar where it's due. The denied single scenario was childish from Babar.

Look, Babar is a good batsmen but he doesn't come close to a Pakistani superstar with character and flamboyance. I'm talking about legends like Imran, Wasim, Waqar, Shoaib, Saeed anwar, Inzi etc - the true superstars. Babar has a fan following but a lot of it only exists on social media and AI.
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Indian just troll him because Pakistani delusional people's compared him with King Kohli .

He is decent player but massively overhyped by Pakistani.

Babar has to change his game strategy.He is talented ,has technique to play.He just need to change his mindset.No one want a player with tuk tuk .Hope he larns something.

:kp
 
Babar begged PCB to call him back and they saved his behind. Because Farhan and Abrar are still playing BPL yet Babar has been called back. This tells me he was surely going to be dropped. What an absolute disaster class.
 
Apparently the match is tomorrow and he couldnt wait a single day? Hahahaha. Hell nawh dawg. Dude was dropped 100%

Insane humiliation
 
iRfaN_LA said:
so much hate from Indians. Not sure what motivates them for this hate.

As far as we are concerned, we criticize Babar where it's due. The denied single scenario was childish from Babar.

Look, Babar is a good batsmen but he doesn't come close to a Pakistani superstar with character and flamboyance. I'm talking about legends like Imran, Wasim, Waqar, Shoaib, Saeed anwar, Inzi etc - the true superstars. Babar has a fan following but a lot of it only exists on social media and AI.
Click to expand...
No, not just Indians. I hate him too, so don't try to just brush it away
 
iRfaN_LA said:
so much hate from Indians. Not sure what motivates them for this hate.

As far as we are concerned, we criticize Babar where it's due. The denied single scenario was childish from Babar.

Look, Babar is a good batsmen but he doesn't come close to a Pakistani superstar with character and flamboyance. I'm talking about legends like Imran, Wasim, Waqar, Shoaib, Saeed anwar, Inzi etc - the true superstars. Babar has a fan following but a lot of it only exists on social media and AI.
Click to expand...

No hate at all. I want Bobsy to play and captain Pakistan for the next decade. Inshallah, him and Rizzu will be back opening for PAK.
 
Maybe it's better this way. He has been saved from another embarrassing performance, and that too in a high-pressure, sudden-death match.

Now he can come back and do the same thing for Pakistan. And they are desperate enough to not drop him from the team either.:kp
 
There have been 350 instances of a cricketer scoring 200+ runs during a Big Bash League season.

Of those 350, Babar Azam's strike rate of 103.06 is the lowest.


Next year, his shirt number should be 103 instead of 056

@heddie19 @salman24 @BouncerGuy @Kianig89 @gazza619
 
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RedwoodOriginal said:
Maybe it's better this way. He has been saved from another embarrassing performance, and that too in a high-pressure, sudden-death match.

Now he can come back and do the same thing for Pakistan. And they are desperate enough to not drop him from the team either.:kp
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He was told he'll be dropped so he coordinated an exit with PCB and CA.

What national duty is calling him right now? 🤡 There's a whole week left before Australia series start
 
RidiculousMan said:
He was told he'll be dropped so he coordinated an exit with PCB and CA.

What national duty is calling him right now? 🤡 There's a whole week left before Australia series start
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He probably just called Azhar Ali and asked for help during the session.

I doubt there is anyone available to help him in the PCB in a space of 1-2 hours

Don’t think Hesson or Aqib are too fond of him. The ain’t awake or care much about this guy
 
The machine that always protects them:

“We will never know whether the Sixers would have dropped him v Hobart”
 
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So who has come off looking worse from this BBL?

Babar or Rizwan?
 
Varun said:
So who has come off looking worse from this BBL?

Babar or Rizwan?
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Rizwan had worse performances as a batter. He was treated more harshly but his reaction was never bad.

Babar had slightly better performances as a batter. He was treated and pampered. But his reaction was abysmal
 
RidiculousMan said:
He was told he'll be dropped so he coordinated an exit with PCB and CA.

What national duty is calling him right now? 🤡 There's a whole week left before Australia series start
Click to expand...
That much seems patently obvious.

Babar's BBL deal was negotiated beforehand with the idea that he will play for the entire season. CA even specifically coordinated with PCB to ensure that he would not be selected for any international commitments in-between. So what's the urgency for him to join a camp now? one day before Sydney Sixers' most important game of the season. :kp
 
RidiculousMan said:
This sums up. He ran away again. Ran away from challenge.

In life and professional work. You have to face the Dragon. Dragon is a metaphor for the challenging obstacle. That's the only way to evolve. Cause beneath the Dragon, there is the Gold you desire.
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The dragon will come in, raze the entire city and Babar will still be 19 off 26 trying get the measure of the pitch
 
Does Babar and his agent think that cricket fans are blind?

These people are so privileged that they think insulting other people's intelligence is their right

A statement announcing a clean break due to approach differences would have been smarter and respected by the fans

I suppose that could have triggered some legal issues regarding compensation

Nevertheless, don't make remarkably pedestrian public statements

That's why Pakistan doesn't win anything lately. These players have no backbone.
 
Looking at Babar’s recent performances, I always think of Mo Hafeez.

Hafeez was at times, pretty reviled by Pak fans, because of his inconsistent performances as opener and eventually his age.

However he remains the shining example of a player that constantly evolved. He reinvented himself even late into his thirties, eventually becoming a very effective middle order hitter. And he did it all based on his own self assessment and drive.

Now Hafeez isn’t some athletic marvel who suddenly became good at six hitting. He made technical adjustments to become that player. Babar, at the very least, is athletically similar to Hafeez. But we never saw a clear determination from Babar to evolve his game. There were the odd games with the odd adventurous shots, but we’ve never seen Babar 2.0. And ultimately, as much as his fans may cover for him, that lack of desire for evolution is on him. He’s sat out of the PAK setup for enough time to have worked on his game, but there’s zero evidence to suggest any evolution. (I’m happy to be corrected here, from those who’ve watched him and are objective).

He’ll defo play in the World Cup based on what he did 2-3 years ago, but it’s difficult to justify the merit of his selection.
 
KingOfPakBreakfast said:
Looking at Babar’s recent performances, I always think of Mo Hafeez.

Hafeez was at times, pretty reviled by Pak fans, because of his inconsistent performances as opener and eventually his age.

However he remains the shining example of a player that constantly evolved. He reinvented himself even late into his thirties, eventually becoming a very effective middle order hitter. And he did it all based on his own self assessment and drive.

Now Hafeez isn’t some athletic marvel who suddenly became good at six hitting. He made technical adjustments to become that player. Babar, at the very least, is athletically similar to Hafeez. But we never saw a clear determination from Babar to evolve his game. There were the odd games with the odd adventurous shots, but we’ve never seen Babar 2.0. And ultimately, as much as his fans may cover for him, that lack of desire for evolution is on him. He’s sat out of the PAK setup for enough time to have worked on his game, but there’s zero evidence to suggest any evolution. (I’m happy to be corrected here, from those who’ve watched him and are objective).

He’ll defo play in the World Cup based on what he did 2-3 years ago, but it’s difficult to justify the merit of his selection.
Click to expand...
The difference between Babar and Hafeez is the Hafeez just isn’t a stupid person. He said in an interview that he was actually a very good student at school, so he clearly has a brain that allows him to observe what’s necessary

Babar on the other hand is as smart is just not. You need to have a brain, intellect of some sorts that allows you to identify your shortcomings and why you are so behind. Babar’s brain only allows him to realise after 2 days that whatever happened was for the best, as pointed out by Henriques
 
Rana said:
The difference between Babar and Hafeez is the Hafeez just isn’t a stupid person. He said in an interview that he was actually a very good student at school, so he clearly has a brain that allows him to observe what’s necessary

Babar on the other hand is as smart is just not. You need to have a brain, intellect of some sorts that allows you to identify your shortcomings and why you are so behind. Babar’s brain only allows him to realise after 2 days that whatever happened was for the best, as pointed out by Henriques
Click to expand...
Babar has never struck me as sharp in any aspect. I don’t like calling people dumbos but I have no other word to describe him.
 
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