Babar Azam's disappointing current ODI form a cause of alarm?

[TeymurBlake]

I think its a bit unfair to put all the blame on him considering the fact that our top 5 has Hafeez, Azhar and Malik. Fakhar and Babar need some proper modern players of ODI like Haris and Mukhtar. Also to add Sarfaraz Ahmed who is wasted at No.6

[Kroll]

I think Pakistan fans are expecting too much from their team.

New Zealand are man for man a far better side, you guys didn't really expect Pakistan to win here did you?

I mean how many Pakistanis would make the current NZ full strength ODI side, maybe 1 or 2 at the most?

And where are you great ODI players like NZ have? Players like Guptill, Williamson, Taylor, Boult? You don't have any.

Try being more realistic.

True

But what I can't accept is no planning, no intent to score, not putting up a fight and being bundled out for 74.

[waleed88]

Point still stands.

Hes one of the senior most players in the side, barring the oldies. Debut'ed almost at the same time as Imad Wasim.
Enough with the he's still young. Its clear his game is built around his convenience, and a culture of selfishness that he gets from the seniors.

[waleed88]

He's still 23. You can write him off. We should support him. The experienced players are the ones who deserve the stick. They don't learn from there mistakes.

He has plenty of experience. Not to mention he has been invested on A tours, and made captain vs England A and what not. Don't discount that. He has pretty much been the 'future poster boy' since a very young age. Priveleges not everyone gets

[OmarKhan99]

He has plenty of experience. Not to mention he has been invested on A tours, and made captain vs England A and what not. Don't discount that. He has pretty much been the 'future poster boy' since a very young age. Priveleges not everyone gets

What's your point? Are you trying to infer that he hasn't justified his roles? That's quite harsh on a player who made it to the top 5 30 odd games into his career.

[waleed88]

What's your point? Are you trying to infer that he hasn't justified his roles? That's quite harsh on a player who made it to the top 5 30 odd games into his career.

He is not a youngster first and foremost. When people say 'his best is yet to come' I don't buy that. He has played for two years (a consistent run that few others have had).At his best he has shown he can be a clutch player, but he has a game that doesn't suit a batsman who can take it up a notch when he wants.

He has shown he doesn't have the ability to chase a total for us, he has shown he can bat in totals up front but that when the pressure is not applied on him. Against good teams he usually fails when he is on the receiving at of some hostile, aggressive fast bowling (Like in the test matches)

[OmarKhan99]

He is not a youngster first and foremost. When people say 'his best is yet to come' I don't buy that. He has played for two years (a consistent run that few others have had).At his best he has shown he can be a clutch player, but he has a game that doesn't suit a batsman who can take it up a notch when he wants.

He has shown he doesn't have the ability to chase a total for us, he has shown he can bat in totals up front but that when the pressure is not applied on him. Against good teams he usually fails when he is on the receiving at of some hostile, aggressive fast bowling (Like in the test matches)

Oh, this is just rich.... Are you being serious? He just turned 23 two months ago. Even Kohli was not close to Babar at this age, statistically, and he was brought through the age groups as well. Kohli has suffered miserable tours in his early years and as recent as 9 months ago, in his own backyard, but that doesn't mean he isn't good enough like you seem to imply. Also, about that consistent run, can you please give some reasonable evidence as to how he hasn't justified his position? You keep saying that he got opportunities that very few others have. That's true, but do you know why? Because he has literally achieved so much more than many World Class players and veterans did in their initial outings and that too at the tender age of 23.

Most players are bound to go through and become better with age till the zenith which is around 30. Just because you think he won't, isn't quite the concrete evidence. I feel you are committing a mistake by judging Babar with one eye on his cousin Umar Akmal. That's quite the prejudice.

[waleed88]

Oh, this is just rich.... Are you being serious? He just turned 23 two months ago. Even Kohli was not close to Babar at this age, statistically, and he was brought through the age groups as well. Kohli has suffered miserable tours in his early years and as recent as 9 months ago, in his own backyard, but that doesn't mean he isn't good enough like you seem to imply. Also, about that consistent run, can you please give some reasonable evidence as to how he hasn't justified his position? You keep saying that he got opportunities that very few others have. That's true, but do you know why? Because he has literally achieved so much more than many World Class players and veterans did in their initial outings and that too at the tender age of 23.

Most players are bound to go through and become better with age till the zenith which is around 30. Just because you think he won't, isn't quite the concrete evidence. I feel you are committing a mistake by judging Babar with one eye on his cousin Umar Akmal. That's quite the prejudice.

23 is just his age, he is bound to be a couple of years older than that.

As far as comparisons with Kohli are concerned, Virat Kohli never made it to Indian ranks because he had the likes of Sachin,Sehwag, Yuvraj, Dhoni, Laxman,Dravid to compete with. That made his game even better until he made those ranks, he was not a free loader like Babar Azam that whatever he does, good or bad it will kept on a pedestal for eternity. The competition in the ranks made Kohli an unimaginabley great player.

Babar will never get there, even if he is given 3 lifes as a cricketer he will never be a Kohli. He just doesn't have whatever it is you make him out to be.

[OmarKhan99]

23 is just his age, he is bound to be a couple of years older than that.

As far as comparisons with Kohli are concerned, Virat Kohli never made it to Indian ranks because he had the likes of Sachin,Sehwag, Yuvraj, Dhoni, Laxman,Dravid to compete with. That made his game even better until he made those ranks, he was not a free loader like Babar Azam that whatever he does, good or bad it will kept on a pedestal for eternity. The competition in the ranks made Kohli an unimaginabley great player.

Babar will never get there, even if he is given 3 lifes as a cricketer he will never be a Kohli. He just doesn't have whatever it is you make him out to be.

Again, only your opinion. I prefer statistics and my own eye. I'm not sure what you're talking about in regards to him being a free loader. He's in the top 5 of the World in just the his first 30 odd games. Until you provide some concrete support rather than just what you think he can do, I just see a glaring bias of yours against him.

[Usman Chadda]

I think Pakistan fans are expecting too much from their team.

New Zealand are man for man a far better side, you guys didn't really expect Pakistan to win here did you?

I mean how many Pakistanis would make the current NZ full strength ODI side, maybe 1 or 2 at the most?

And where are you great ODI players like NZ have? Players like Guptill, Williamson, Taylor, Boult? You don't have any.

Try being more realistic.

NZ couldn't make it through the group stages of the Champions Trophy with those great players. Got knocked out by Bangladesh of all teams.

But yes I agree, New Zealand in New Zealand is one of the strongest teams in the world. They have smashed much better teams than this current Pakistan team in the recent past.

[introvert]

At best he can do what Joe root does for England in oneday cricket holds the innings together by rotating strike.but root gets support from dynamic talents like roy,hales in opening,morgan buttler stokes in middle order all capable of destroying bowling attacks single handedly.
Compare to them what Pakistan have except fakhar zamaan every body else are similar kind of players who feasts against spin and struggle against quicks.

[Abdullah719]

Disappointing again. Throws it away.

[HuzaifaE]

Pathetic shot, front foot not on the same continent as the pitch of the ball vs a swinging delivery.

[navin]

Nevermind he is still having 50+ average and he'll have plenty of opportunities to bash Windies and Lankans at home and inflate his average

[Chief Destroyer]

Nevermind he is still having 50+ average and he'll have plenty of opportunities to bash Windies and Lankans at home and inflate his average

Aussies as well.

[Rayyman]

Poor series so far. Needs to step it up in the next few ODIs.

Though every player has a bad run of form. Babar should be persisted with. Will be disappointed if he is dropped.

[hur rizvi]

Going the way of his cousins

[Chief Destroyer]

Babar's gotta raise that backlift that's hindering from getting on top of the bounce. A bit more of a forward press would help but raising that backlift is necessary.

He's not fully equipped at the moment to play shots on bouncy pitches off the get-go.

[mmkextreme_1]

23 is just his age, he is bound to be a couple of years older than that.

As far as comparisons with Kohli are concerned, Virat Kohli never made it to Indian ranks because he had the likes of Sachin,Sehwag, Yuvraj, Dhoni, Laxman,Dravid to compete with. That made his game even better until he made those ranks, he was not a free loader like Babar Azam that whatever he does, good or bad it will kept on a pedestal for eternity. The competition in the ranks made Kohli an unimaginabley great player.

Babar will never get there, even if he is given 3 lifes as a cricketer he will never be a Kohli. He just doesn't have whatever it is you make him out to be.

I'm pretty sure he's not lying about his age. Sick and tired of people thinking every Pakistani cricketer lies about his age. It was more prevalent with the yesteryear cricketers.

Babar Azam has come through the U19 system, they do wrist tests and everything. Pretty confident his age is correct.

[Mainul]

Babar the flat track bully

[waleed88]

Babar Azam's average in free fall

Apparently he was Bradman in NZ, averaging in the 70s now, his average is 32.6

[Chief Destroyer]

Babar Azam's average in free fall

Apparently he was Bradman in NZ, averaging in the 70s now, his average is 32.6

What's so funny? I've never understood why you want him to fail.

[navin]

Babar Azam's average in free fall

Apparently he was Bradman in NZ, averaging in the 70s now, his average is 32.6

32.6? it must be 52.6

[dravidthewall]

He is turning out to be next rohit sharma.Haris sohail is good though

[waleed88]

32.6? it must be 52.6

In NZ

[Chief Destroyer]

If anything, this series shows the value of Babar's runs.

[srh]

Make him opener in next match

[Snatch]

NZ couldn't make it through the group stages of the Champions Trophy with those great players. Got knocked out by Bangladesh of all teams.

But yes I agree, New Zealand in New Zealand is one of the strongest teams in the world. They have smashed much better teams than this current Pakistan team in the recent past.

Geez man, that was then, this is now, You guys have got to get over that CT win. It's fast becoming like Pakistan 1992 WC win, in that it will now be talked about for another 20 years.

I gave Pakistan credit at the time for the CT, they snuck in under the radar when there was a lot more pressure and expectation on other more fancied teams like SA, Eng and India. But well done to them.

But for anyone to actually think that was really indicative as to where they are as a one day team, as opposed to an aberration needs their heads read. They're nowhere close to the best ODI side in the world, they're not even in the top 5 if we're honest about it. That's obvious just looking at their players.

Well done on your CT victory Pakistan, but it's now time to look at 'the now' and 'the future', not the past.

[TeymurBlake]

Babar Azam does look like he's hit a bad run of form which is fine players do intend to hit bad form also he's quite young as well so he does have time to learn. The most important thing is that he is continued to be persisted with and works on his weaknesses.

[srh]

Babar Azam does look like he's hit a bad run of form which is fine players do intend to hit bad form also he's quite young as well so he does have time to learn. The most important thing is that he is continued to be persisted with and works on his weaknesses.

how can his mental weaknesses be removed?

[TeymurBlake]

how can his mental weaknesses be removed?

He can work hard to remove it. If he wants to be one of the best batsman of world and be considered a solid batsman than work on it. He should try to work on being more fearless. When the pressure gets to him, he seems to go into his shell. He needs to be more fearless, its something that Mickey, Grant and Psychologist should help on that.

[srh]

He can work hard to remove it. If he wants to be one of the best batsman of world and be considered a solid batsman than work on it. He should try to work on being more fearless. When the pressure gets to him, he seems to go into his shell. He needs to be more fearless, its something that Mickey, Grant and Psychologist should help on that.

see I dont think a person can change his nature; I dont think Babar can become fearless like Sharjeel or Fakhr. I think Babar plays better when there is no pressure or when there is pressure but somebody else is the man to handle it; I may be wrong though

[TeymurBlake]

see I dont think a person can change his nature; I dont think Babar can become fearless like Sharjeel or Fakhr. I think Babar plays better when there is no pressure or when there is pressure but somebody else is the man to handle it; I may be wrong though

I agree that Babar doesn't look like a player that could be a fearless player, he plays at his best when there isn't any pressure. With this being said I think he might want to take into consideration about moving to No.4, because right now besides Fakhar we don't have anyone at No.2 or No.4 that could come in and play the role and absorb the pressure early on.

[PakHammer]

He must not play in test matches that is for sure for the next year or so. He will gobbled up by Anderson etc in May if he makes the test 11.

[backfootpunch]

He's actually fading as a batsman - he averaged 72 last time he went to NZ @SR of 95. Now look him.

Some will believe he had a decent series in Aus, but he was impactless (evident from a SR of 82) and the hundred he scored was probably the most selfish innings I've ever seen.

In England he has yet to score a 50 in 7 matches with a poor SR of 77.

He's been in the international scene for 2 years and yes he's young so I don't expect him to set the world alight but I expect progress from his first series in UAE (avg: 46 @SR of 93) and his excellent first tour of NZ.

And guess what we had a poster on here claiming he was better than Kohli because of his average prior to this series.

[Savak]

Sometimes its better to drop a failure when he has been out of form for a while. All top sides do this. When even someone as great as Kohli had a torrid time in England, the Indians dropped him from no 3 to no 5-6 and only bumped him up when he got runs under his belt again.

[Hasan123]

1 bad series and our so called fans turn on him . Absolute joke. I don't mind critiscm but some people make OTT judgements after 1 or 2 low scores.

[babajee]

1 bad series and our so called fans turn on him . Absolute joke. I don't mind critiscm but some people make OTT judgements after 1 or 2 low scores.

Exactly. And his failures have been temperamental issues and not due to a lack of ability.

He can easily bounce back.

[Savak]

1 bad series and our so called fans turn on him . Absolute joke. I don't mind critiscm but some people make OTT judgements after 1 or 2 low scores.

Context, he has looked like a minnow tailender in these NZ conditions. Not a good sign for someone who is suppossed to be a good batsman. He looks low on confidence right now and would be well served with being rested from the squad.

[Hasan123]

Exactly. And his failures have been temperamental issues and not due to a lack of ability.

He can easily bounce back.

Also he's not a power hitter . Poor performances of senior and lack of power hitters puts extra responsibility on him. Need to get Maqsood ,Talat,Umar, Shazbinda inducted to allow Babar to play anchor role.

[Hasan123]

Context, he has looked like a minnow tailender in these NZ conditions. Not a good sign for someone who is suppossed to be a good batsman. He looks low on confidence right now and would be well served with being rested from the squad.

He's scored runs in NZ conditions before . He isn't going to score in every series. One worry I have is his body language. He's far too timid. Want to see a bit more from him.

[PakSarZameen]

I like the suggestion of dropping him down the order but he doesn't have the game in him to perform below 4.

[jnaveen1980]

He should use Amla as his role model. Amla not a big hitter as well. But he times well. He has some room for improvement. But he is not going tobe a smith or kohli or even williams. He has some limitatiosn within which he should be allowed to play.

[Kroll]

Just like Amir will probably pick up his customary end of series 2 or 3 wickets in the final match and go back to being a superhero, will Babar follow the trend and blast a half century or even century?

[Pete Rose]

He should use Amla as his role model. Amla not a big hitter as well. But he times well. He has some room for improvement. But he is not going tobe a smith or kohli or even williams. He has some limitatiosn within which he should be allowed to play.

I think he is using Amla as a role model. In the sense he has great overall figures, but doesnt make any impact when the heat is on

[Syed1]

1 bad series and our so called fans turn on him . Absolute joke. I don't mind critiscm but some people make OTT judgements after 1 or 2 low scores.

Every batsman has a bad series here or there.... But only a few average 50+ and look like a tailender on debut.

[Smudger]

Every batsman has a bad series here or there.... But only a few average 50+ and look like a tailender on debut.

Like kohli looked an absolute no 11 vs eng over 10 innings of a test match . Worst return by a batsman in a 5 match series in history

[Abdullah719]

[shokz1408]

And people were defending babars selection for 5 ODIs straight, why would you risk losing the match just so you can see him score 6 runs again.

I have an exam analogy, let's say you want a friend to sit your exam hoping he will score you A's in all your exams because he has done really well in the past. He sits 3 exams, achieving under 10 marks and getting a U. Would you trust him to sit the rest of your exams to get an A? No I don't think so, then why would you select babar azam for 5 games if you want to win or compete in the series?

[Buffet]

To much criticism here. He has flaws in his game, but he is young and has time on his side.

[Chief Destroyer]

Every batsman has a bad series here or there.... But only a few average 50+ and look like a tailender on debut.

Kohli averaged 9 recently against Australia.

[Abdul]

Being exposed.

[msb314]

1 bad series and our so called fans turn on him . Absolute joke. I don't mind critiscm but some people make OTT judgements after 1 or 2 low scores.

This.

Agree - he has had a stellar 2017 so was due a poor series.

As mentioned in the other thread his manner of dismissals were disappointing and he needs to work on avoiding fishing outside off stump.

[Adnan_Ilyas]

Babar Azam is a brilliant player who is just out of form. When he's making 50s and 100s pickinh up the teams slack we all love him, what a joke. I am sure he will bounce back

[Hasan123]

This.

Agree - he has had a stellar 2017 so was due a poor series.

As mentioned in the other thread his manner of dismissals were disappointing and he needs to work on avoiding fishing outside off stump.

Agreed. People expect him to score in every game which isn't going to happen.

[MeanAndGreen]

Why do people keep comparing him with Kohli fgs. He will never get there! Pakistanis and their delusional obsession with India is crazy. You can not be Kohli and still be world class. Azam has a lot of hard work to do in the off season and hopefully this will be the making of him as a player.

The standout for me is the fact that people here want him to fail and genuinely find happiness in it, which is absolutely disgraceful. If this guy fails, it literally means that the entire NCA program was a bust and the most hyped, invested batting prospect in PAK of this generation failed - despite having a record start to his career. We should be desperately worried to lose another great prospect instead of being happy he is failing, especially when you think of some of the replacements in domestic cricket.

He's a flawed player yes, but that isn't a good thing for PAK cricket like some here are making it out to be. Some people just love fuelling their agendas on this forum...

[AssassinatedDevil]

While i agree that that he shouldn't be compared to kohli ,atleast at this stage of his career, there is no denying that he is the only pakistani batsman to have played for us in recent times that could one day be compared to great batsman like kohli if he plays to his potential.

The kid has been the anchor of the team since the day he debuted. All the pressure and burden of runs is thrust onto his shoulders. He wasnt put into the team surrounded by great batsman that he could rely on making the runs once he got out. The hope of the nation to have the next great batting talent were thrust onto his shoulders the day he stepped into that locker room.

This was his first series that he failed this miserably, which was bound to happen eventually. He has issues around the fifth stump line which he will have to work on but aside from that, he doesnt have too many glaring flaws in his batting.

To the people who play off his hundred in australia, i ask why exactly? Scoring a hundred at a strike of 91 while chasing 369 under lights against a quality australian pace attack is very commendable, and dismissing it as a pathetic and useless innings is what angers me the most. Just because we didnt win the game doesnt render his innings as lame.

Dismissing his runs against WI and Sri Lanka in UAE is foolish. Pak doesnt get as many away tours as some teams like India does, and the overseas tours babar has gotten have mostly been good for him. He performed very well in his first New Zelaand tour and similiarly so in the England tour. He failed in the australian tests but did well in the ODIs. He is in no way our version of bradman, but he has been largely successful in the international scene. If Pak gets more overseas tours in the future, he will hopefully prove himself on bouncy tracks and green tops.

[Hamstead_joy]

He is exposed definitely, Wellington pitch was much more like Asian conditions, there was'nt that much bounce. This pitch was good enough for him to register a 20 or a 30 atleast. They brought in a new bowler Matt Henry who bowls 140+ kph which meant he could still bang in to extract bounce albeit not that high. Took henry just one bouncer to mess with his mind,he followed it up with another 4th-5th stump which went straight to the second slip. We have a lot of bad performers in NZ like Malik and Azhar but even they have crossed 20 figure mark and average 9. This is really scary for the team that relies on him.

[Abdullah]

1 bad tour and everybody is on the case!!
Typical
Sometimes I think you guys deserve the maliks hafeezs farhats azhars akmals of this world.

[Abdullah]

^ I am talking ODIs (azhar is on track to be a pak test legend)

[Bleedgreen4ever]

Played very well tbh

That SR was low because wickets were falling

Deserves credit where due and Pakistan should stick with him