Has Babar Azam's T20 game suffered because of his habit of stat-padding?

[Savak]

Early on in his career he would bat a lot more freely and would be more adventurous with his stroke play and would even play aerial shots if necessary.

In the last year i have seen him predominantly sticking to ground shots and risk free shots where he is not willing to take chances for the team and he is content to play the anchor role for the team even if it means a low strike rate which hurts the team.

I would definitely like the Pakistani selectors to make some bold calls where they not only strip him from the T-20 captaincy but also drop him from the team. England have dropped Root and Australia have made it clear that Steve Smith does not fit into their plans, Inspite of Kohli's successful T-20 career where he was won numerous games for India, India have made it clear they are now moving on from Kohli in the T20 side therefore why can Pakistan not get Babar Azam to pull his socks up?

[Gullycricket]

Karlo drop . #Sochna bhi mana hai

[MenInG]

This rent-free situation getting ridiculous.

[Ashmal]

Why just T20s.....drop him from all formats and never pick him again.

Bring back the Akmals and other fixers.

[dildilpak]

Nonsense, every team needs one anchor, so that the hitters can belt out freely around them and Babar can do that anchor job well. The problem with Pakistan is that they have too many anchors.

In short, drop Rizwan and others who are unnecessarily playing anchors.

[Savak]

Nonsense, every team needs one anchor, so that the hitters can belt out freely around them and Babar can do that anchor job well. The problem with Pakistan is that they have too many anchors.

In short, drop Rizwan and others who are unnecessarily playing anchors.

In T20 even an anchor needs to finish with a SR of 140-150 by the end of his innings like Kohli frequently does.

[ads101]

Nonsense, every team needs one anchor, so that the hitters can belt out freely around them and Babar can do that anchor job well. The problem with Pakistan is that they have too many anchors.

In short, drop Rizwan and others who are unnecessarily playing anchors.

By that logic you would drop Babar. Rizwan is clearly the better anchor player these days and he keeps on top. Rizwan is far harder to replace.

I think Babar is struggling a bit in T20s. He's making scores, but he looks less settled than normal, which is maybe why he's playing a bit more cautious.

Given how he's been so great in ODIs and tests middle order, I think dropping him down to 3 might be ideal, as long as we find an opener worthy of replacing him. If Fakhar has a really good PSL, wouldn't be surprised if Babar considers dropping down to 3. The problem with Fakhar is he got so many chances before as an opener and failed, but perhaps he's finally figured out his T20 game. But there's no point dropping down for a mediocre batsman, it hurts the team. We really want someone who averages at least 30 at a decent SR to open. If you can't do that, we won't consistently be able to set opening platforms.

[topspin]

Completely agree with OP.

Babar is a key man in Tests and ODIs but in T20Is he's a liability and shouldn't be in Pakistan's starting XI.

In the shortest format, he's no better than Steve Smith who didn't play a single game during the World T20 in Australia.

[Rana]

What is Babar’s fastest 50 in T20 cricket? Anyone?

[MenInG]

This rent-free situation getting ridiculous.

It's simply amazing

[MenInG]

What is Babar’s fastest 50 in T20 cricket? Anyone?

Use Google, find it, add it here so we can move on.

[kumjsr]

Early on in his career he would bat a lot more freely and would be more adventurous with his stroke play and would even play aerial shots if necessary.

In the last year i have seen him predominantly sticking to ground shots and risk free shots where he is not willing to take chances for the team and he is content to play the anchor role for the team even if it means a low strike rate which hurts the team.

I would definitely like the Pakistani selectors to make some bold calls where they not only strip him from the T-20 captaincy but also drop him from the team. England have dropped Root and Australia have made it clear that Steve Smith does not fit into their plans, Inspite of Kohli's successful T-20 career where he was won numerous games for India, India have made it clear they are now moving on from Kohli in the T20 side therefore why can Pakistan not get Babar Azam to pull his socks up?

Babar Azam has played 99 T20Is.

First 50 matches:
Runs: 1916
SR: 132
Avg: 49

Next 49 matches:
Runs: 1439
SR: 122
Avg: 34

SR drop by 10, runs accumulated is down.

Is he really stat-padding? One can understand reason behind decrease in runs scored, but SR drop 10 is alarming and unusual for players. Usually players increase their SR at peak of their career in any format of the game.

[Rana]

Use Google, find it, add it here so we can move on.

Bhai jaan help kar do na?

[topspin]

What is Babar’s fastest 50 in T20 cricket? Anyone?

This is gonna be challenging task but I'll try to find out. What I can say for a fact is that in T20Is, all of his half centuries have taken 24 or more deliveries based on the list below:

https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/co...ds/284094.html

[shamaan]

In T20 even an anchor needs to finish with a SR of 140-150 by the end of his innings like Kohli frequently does.

So what strike rate are you expecting the dashers to go at ?

[zarak]

Babar Azam has played 99 T20Is.

First 50 matches:
Runs: 1916
SR: 132
Avg: 49

Next 49 matches:
Runs: 1439
SR: 122
Avg: 34

SR drop by 10, runs accumulated is down.

Is he really stat-padding? One can understand reason behind decrease in runs scored, but SR drop 10 is alarming and unusual for players. Usually players increase their SR at peak of their career in any format of the game.

He has never been a great t20 player. He is a top ODI and test batter. The type of guy that can play risk free at 90-100 strike rate

[zarak]

Early on in his career he would bat a lot more freely and would be more adventurous with his stroke play and would even play aerial shots if necessary.

In the last year i have seen him predominantly sticking to ground shots and risk free shots where he is not willing to take chances for the team and he is content to play the anchor role for the team even if it means a low strike rate which hurts the team.

I would definitely like the Pakistani selectors to make some bold calls where they not only strip him from the T-20 captaincy but also drop him from the team. England have dropped Root and Australia have made it clear that Steve Smith does not fit into their plans, Inspite of Kohli's successful T-20 career where he was won numerous games for India, India have made it clear they are now moving on from Kohli in the T20 side therefore why can Pakistan not get Babar Azam to pull his socks up?

LOL who would you replace him with. Haider Ali

[Zaz]

LOL who would you replace him with. Haider Ali

Think theyd want umar akmal in instead of babar The man who puts weight on just by drinking water

[Rana]

This is gonna be challenging task but I'll try to find out. What I can say for a fact is that in T20Is, all of his half centuries have taken 24 or more deliveries based on the list below:

https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/co...ds/284094.html

According to @shamaan Babar scored a 27 ball 50 once

He might be right but I personally don’t believe it, until I see undeniable proof.

If Babar scored a 27 ball 50, it means someone must have scored a 14 ball 50 in the game as well

[Firebat]

According to @shamaan Babar scored a 27 ball 50 once

He might be right but I personally don’t believe it, until I see undeniable proof.

If Babar scored a 27 ball 50, it means someone must have scored a 14 ball 50 in the game as well

He reached 50 from 27 balls in this SA game: https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/...full-scorecard

[Goharn]

Here comes @Rana with his ifs and buts. We have got to be the most thankless nation. Scored 68 at around 150 SR, win the game as the captain and people still want someone like Imad Wasim who couldn't bowl his 4 overs quota lol. Helpless

[Bilal Ahmad15]

With regards to the Pakistan T20 team selection, its fine to have one anchor type player, so having Babar Azam is fine in T20 Team. We need to realise Pakistan does not have the same batting resources as the other countries, how many times does this have to be said??

But once again, Babar as the anchor player at number 3 is no problem, but having Babar Azam, Muhammad Rizwan and Shan Masood as your top 3 is ridiculous.

Here is a fixed top 3:

1. Muhammad Haris Khan (wk)
2. Fakhar Zaman
3. Babar Azam

[jnaveen1980]

I think it is more to do with limitations.

Among 1500 plus run makers in T20 history

Balls per six

[Savak]

I will just say that Babar has become more selfish and this became exacerbated when Ramiz gave him almighty powers without accountability.

[Rana]

He reached 50 from 27 balls in this SA game: https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/...full-scorecard

I knew it!

It doesn’t count because he scored a hundred

His fastest 50 besides this one is probably 35 balls

[Bilal Ahmad15]

I knew it!

It doesn’t count because he scored a hundred

His fastest 50 besides this one is probably 35 balls

Also worthy to note that T20 Series against South Africa, was a South Africa B Team, because most of their main players went to IPL.

[shamaan]

I knew it!

It doesn’t count because he scored a hundred

His fastest 50 besides this one is probably 35 balls

It does count becouse when he got to 50 it was on the 27th delivery.

[Rana]

It does count becouse when he got to 50 it was on the 27th delivery.

No it doesn’t officially. The hundred counts only

[Firebat]

I knew it!

It doesn’t count because he scored a hundred

His fastest 50 besides this one is probably 35 balls

29 balls: https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/...full-scorecard

30 balls: https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/...full-scorecard

Having looked through most of his T20I fifties, I would roughly say he reaches a 50 on average after 34-36 balls.

[Savak]

Contrast his knock with Rizwan's, the guy cannot hit the ball to save his life anymore, he is very easy to contain and restrict as his hitting areas and shots are limited. 75 of 58 balls in the modern T-20 format when you have opened is very slow.

[ataullah]

Contrast his knock with Rizwan's, the guy cannot hit the ball to save his life anymore, he is very easy to contain and restrict as his hitting areas and shots are limited. 75 of 58 balls in the modern T-20 format when you have opened is very slow.

Really sad to see him run a single on last over with no 10 Arshad at the other end. He felt ashamed he couldn't hit...MUST work with a power hitting coach. Change grip maybe or anything else

[corleone]

Contrast his knock with Rizwan's, the guy cannot hit the ball to save his life anymore, he is very easy to contain and restrict as his hitting areas and shots are limited. 75 of 58 balls in the modern T-20 format when you have opened is very slow.

All top tier batsmen in this day and age have the gears to increase their SR and propel their team to a sizeable score. For some reason, Babar doesn't, although he did seem to show some aggression at the beginning of his innings 🤔 selfish innings and probably a match losing knock.

[zarak]

It would be hard to call it match losing since everyone else failed. So he is not responsible for hogging strike and denying the other batters a chance to play. He just is a safety first batter he doesn't take on bowling just flies under the radar

[ads101]

Feel bad for him, one of his worst innings. I think he wanted to score faster, but couldn't make it work especially at the end. Was difficult to balance with the tumbling wickets. Though his team giving their wickets away isn't his fault.

I think it might be time to call it and drop him down from opener to 3. He hasn't been doing as well in international T20s either. Rizwan on the other hand is still going strong as opener and should stay there. He might rediscover his form there, things just aren't clicking for him these days in T20 as they used to.

[VForVendetta]

He was never good to begin with. It's just that year 2022 has really exposed his limitations. All the runs he scored before came almost always against lower teams & second string bowling attacks of top teams which helped his stronghold on ranking. But in Asia & World cup he had to deal with top bowlers & he just hopelessly got exposed. He has been dragging himself like a carcass since then & due to his god level stature in PAK cricket nobody dares to say anything to him to either improve or simply let go.

[zarak]

If he goes to number 3 his career is over. He should just be aggressive at the top and stop anchoring. If he got out post power play no one would have said anything about his innings.

[kumjsr]

He scored 15 runs in last 18 balls he faced.

[Snowflake]

He scored 15 runs in last 18 balls he faced.

This is terrible. But we've seen this so so many times

[ArabKnight]

I do not why commentators call him the best batsman in the world.

All while he plays a match losing innings.

This is farce.

[Ali Active]

Babar should focus on tests and odis

[KingOfPakBreakfast]

I don’t believe he’s consciously stat padding. I think he doesn’t have the game to be effective in t20s. I think he’s also afraid to reinvent himself, because there’s a fear of him losing his strengths, which are his classical batting technique.

All in all, I think it’s time to reevaluate Babar and Rizzy opening for Pakistan and I’m sure Mickey will address that first thing.

[shamaan]

Babar is a class player but when trying to hit big he looses his shape and that's a massive weekeness in his game.

[Savak]

Babar Azam unfortunately has developed a selfish streak. You just have to check his body language in the final overs, zero intent to sacrifice his wicket for the big shots, he was content to take singles. No way will a coach like Mickey Arthur not give him a peace of his mind for selfish batting.

[Zaz]

Not a good outing by peshawar zalmis and babar

Back to the drawing board The need of the hour is to look at your weaknesses and improve fast

Considering he stayed not out he certainly shouldve got 15-20 runs more

[shariqnoor]

It's very difficult to hit sixes at will if you are gripping the handle by the shoulders of the bat, which is what Babar, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson all do.

You look at the grips of the power hitters like Pollard, Buttler, Livingstone, Tim David - they all hold the bat on the top end of the handle which is why they get a lot of leverage when hitting the ball.

In the Pakistani side, only Fakhar Zaman and Asif Ali hold the bat higher on the handle and that is why they have more success when it comes to six-hitting. Razzaq was a good example of power hitting based on how he held the bat.

This all comes down to coaching at the grassroots level. If you have to develop power hitters, kids need to be taught the technique of Buttler / Livingstone et al.

It is fruitless to expect Babar at this stage of his career to revamp his bat-holding style and develop power-hitting ability. It will not be possible. If anything, even if he tries, it will mess up his ODI and Test run-scoring ability.

[Rana]

It's very difficult to hit sixes at will if you are gripping the handle by the shoulders of the bat, which is what Babar, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson all do.

You look at the grips of the power hitters like Pollard, Buttler, Livingstone, Tim David - they all hold the bat on the top end of the handle which is why they get a lot of leverage when hitting the ball.

In the Pakistani side, only Fakhar Zaman and Asif Ali hold the bat higher on the handle and that is why they have more success when it comes to six-hitting. Razzaq was a good example of power hitting based on how he held the bat.

This all comes down to coaching at the grassroots level. If you have to develop power hitters, kids need to be taught the technique of Buttler / Livingstone et al.

It is fruitless to expect Babar at this stage of his career to revamp his bat-holding style and develop power-hitting ability. It will not be possible. If anything, even if he tries, it will mess up his ODI and Test run-scoring ability.

No. It’s difficult to hit sixes if your priority is your personal score and not the team.

Period

[GLORY OF '92]

It's very difficult to hit sixes at will if you are gripping the handle by the shoulders of the bat, which is what Babar, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson all do.

You look at the grips of the power hitters like Pollard, Buttler, Livingstone, Tim David - they all hold the bat on the top end of the handle which is why they get a lot of leverage when hitting the ball.

In the Pakistani side, only Fakhar Zaman and Asif Ali hold the bat higher on the handle and that is why they have more success when it comes to six-hitting. Razzaq was a good example of power hitting based on how he held the bat.

This all comes down to coaching at the grassroots level. If you have to develop power hitters, kids need to be taught the technique of Buttler / Livingstone et al.

It is fruitless to expect Babar at this stage of his career to revamp his bat-holding style and develop power-hitting ability. It will not be possible. If anything, even if he tries, it will mess up his ODI and Test run-scoring ability.

Sorry Sehwag, Tendulkar, Inzy????

[MenInG]

Babar Azam answering a question about his strike rate

[Zaz]

Sorry Sehwag, Tendulkar, Inzy????

What about them?

[JaDed]

What about them?

Their grip on the bat isn’t it similar to Babar’s..

[hitthestump]

Babar Azam answering a question about his strike rate

His response will divide opinions.

But mostly i am liking the ability of Babar to politely but firmly respond to attempts at attacking him. Babar is developing a spine.

[hitthestump]

He scored 15 runs in last 18 balls he faced.

This is indefensible for any set batsman.

[hitthestump]

I don’t believe he’s consciously stat padding. I think he doesn’t have the game to be effective in t20s. I think he’s also afraid to reinvent himself, because there’s a fear of him losing his strengths, which are his classical batting technique.

All in all, I think it’s time to reevaluate Babar and Rizzy opening for Pakistan and I’m sure Mickey will address that first thing.

I think Mohammad Haris is doing a decent job so far and can continue to do the role he plays now for Pakistan if he'll have Rizwan and then Babar coming in either side of him.

The other option is Fakhar/Rizwan which i prefer due to the left-right combination and Fakhar's ability to play a longer innings.

Regardless it's time to shelve RizBab for now and at least explore our other options. There hasn't been enough experimentation for the opening position, which might have been right at the time given how unstable the middle order has been, but it has gotten stale now.

[shariqnoor]

Sorry Sehwag, Tendulkar, Inzy????

Tendulkar's T20 strike rate is 121. 38 sixes in 96 innings.

Inzi never played T20 cricket much but both Inzi and Tendulkar cannot power-hit at will compared to the likes of Buttler, De Villiers, Pollard.

Sehwag is an anomaly. He had exceptional timing and his hand-eye coordination was the best in the world - probably ever in the history of the game.

[GLORY OF '92]

Tendulkar's T20 strike rate is 121. 38 sixes in 96 innings.

Inzi never played T20 cricket much but both Inzi and Tendulkar cannot power-hit at will compared to the likes of Buttler, De Villiers, Pollard.

Sehwag is an anomaly. He had exceptional timing and his hand-eye coordination was the best in the world - probably ever in the history of the game.

I mean Tendulkar and Inzy devastated bowling attacks 25 years ago with light bats, big boundaries and overall superior bowlers. ABD, Buttler and Pollard are not in the same class at all. I have no doubt both would score 50 ball hundreds in this era.

[adzzy786]

His response will divide opinions.

But mostly i am liking the ability of Babar to politely but firmly respond to attempts at attacking him. Babar is developing a spine.

I’ve always been an advocate supporter of Babar and Rizzy however I do trunk in recent times my opinion on them has changed. I do believe they need to go harder. So many times they will score a miserly 50-70 runs and the team will make 140 -150 runs in 20’overs. They like to hog the batting but they won’t score 200 runs regularly. Babar is a great accumulator, however his strike rate is and will remain an issue

[emranabbas]

Babar Azam answering a question about his strike rate

What an arrogant person he's getting too big for his boots

[MenInG]

A real struggle for Babar Azam towards the end of his innings against Islamabad United. Last 18 balls he faced:

1 1 . 1 1 1 . 1 1 2 . 1 1 2 2lb . 1 1#PSL8 #PZvIU

— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) February 23, 2023

[Osama Shafeeqe]

Babar is the best anchor in T20 history and is currently still the best anchor in T20s but expecting your anchor to also specialise in finishing is non sensical. Reality is Babar is limited in his finishing and power hitting, but this is not his role in the team, just like a spinner isn't expected to be a death bowler.

Like many cases of Babar bashing, a failure of the middle order has led to a sub par total and Babar's innings is then labeled as stat paddling but in reality, he played with his complete ability and made all the right choices except while finishing.

Babar constant issue is that when there is no support in terms of batting partners and the team is losing too many wickets too quickly and leaving no batsman remaining. Babar struggles to keep the strike rate high (like most batsman would in this situation) and traditionally, the batsman will take it long and keep their wicket so they can finish at the end. Babar lacks the ability to finish at the end and keeps employing the power hitting method with great failure.

He is never going to be a batsman that muscles the ball for six or have this magical 3rd gear but he is someone that provides a tremendous amount of reliability and stability in a format that is incredibly unreliable. Instead, Babar should try to paddle or lap during the death and his failure to learn or apply these shots are really whats lacking in terms of an anchor role in T20s.

[gibsyhesperis]

Babar is the best anchor in T20 history and is currently still the best anchor in T20s but expecting your anchor to also specialise in finishing is non sensical. Reality is Babar is limited in his finishing and power hitting, but this is not his role in the team, just like a spinner isn't expected to be a death bowler.

Like many cases of Babar bashing, a failure of the middle order has led to a sub par total and Babar's innings is then labeled as stat paddling but in reality, he played with his complete ability and made all the right choices except while finishing.

Babar constant issue is that when there is no support in terms of batting partners and the team is losing too many wickets too quickly and leaving no batsman remaining. Babar struggles to keep the strike rate high (like most batsman would in this situation) and traditionally, the batsman will take it long and keep their wicket so they can finish at the end. Babar lacks the ability to finish at the end and keeps employing the power hitting method with great failure.

He is never going to be a batsman that muscles the ball for six or have this magical 3rd gear but he is someone that provides a tremendous amount of reliability and stability in a format that is incredibly unreliable. Instead, Babar should try to paddle or lap during the death and his failure to learn or apply these shots are really whats lacking in terms of an anchor role in T20s.

Most sensible post on here.
Babar is not going to be someone who hits the balls sailing out of the ground again and again — that not his game.
It is also not been the game of the other modern Test greats like Root, Williamson and to an extent Smith.
(Kohli is the probably exception in truly being an all format great).

Let’s enjoy Babar for what he is, he needs to understand what his role is and some of our more hysterical (frequent) posters should understand Babar is not Asif Ali (thankfully….)

[Saj]

The word anchor and T20s should not be mentioned in the same sentence.

Imagine an England player in a T20I saying to his coach or team-mates, I'm playing the anchor role. They'd kick him out straight away.

[Rana]

The word anchor and T20s should not be mentioned in the same sentence.

Imagine an England player in a T20I saying to his coach or team-mates, I'm playing the anchor role. They'd kick him out straight away.

The ICC had to use the word to justify Rizwan’s inclusion in their team of the year.

I’m sure Wasim Khan is trying to normalise these words for the ICC

[emranabbas]

Babar is the best anchor in T20 history and is currently still the best anchor in T20s but expecting your anchor to also specialise in finishing is non sensical. Reality is Babar is limited in his finishing and power hitting, but this is not his role in the team, just like a spinner isn't expected to be a death bowler.

Like many cases of Babar bashing, a failure of the middle order has led to a sub par total and Babar's innings is then labeled as stat paddling but in reality, he played with his complete ability and made all the right choices except while finishing.

Babar constant issue is that when there is no support in terms of batting partners and the team is losing too many wickets too quickly and leaving no batsman remaining. Babar struggles to keep the strike rate high (like most batsman would in this situation) and traditionally, the batsman will take it long and keep their wicket so they can finish at the end. Babar lacks the ability to finish at the end and keeps employing the power hitting method with great failure.

He is never going to be a batsman that muscles the ball for six or have this magical 3rd gear but he is someone that provides a tremendous amount of reliability and stability in a format that is incredibly unreliable. Instead, Babar should try to paddle or lap during the death and his failure to learn or apply these shots are really whats lacking in terms of an anchor role in T20s.

If you think an anchor is required in t20's then you don't understand the game at all.

Anchor is used in odi's Where 1 player holds the wicket and others playout and that too when the situation requires it.

T20 is about playing around 5-10 balls to settle and then a quick cameo, the reason why there is a different squad for t20 and odi

Babar does not fit in a t20 setup definitely not as a opener because the openers are required to know how to play the powerplay, that's when you take the opportunity and score at a higher rate due to field restrictions.

In t20 you can't play out 15overs and play all out in the last 5 overs that's not how the game is designed
This is the reason we fail because we are not making use of the first powerplay

You can't blame the middle order when babar is hogging the 1st 15 overs and then expect the middle order to go all out and play catch up

[Rana]

If you think an anchor is required in t20's then you don't understand the game at all.

Anchor is used in odi's Where 1 player holds the wicket and others playout and that too when the situation requires it.

T20 is about playing around 5-10 balls to settle and then a quick cameo, the reason why there is a different squad for t20 and odi

Babar does not fit in a t20 setup definitely not as a opener because the openers are required to know how to play the powerplay, that's when you take the opportunity and score at a higher rate due to field restrictions.

In t20 you can't play out 15overs and play all out in the last 5 overs that's not how the game is designed
This is the reason we fail because we are not making use of the first powerplay

You can't blame the middle order when babar is hogging the 1st 15 overs and then expect the middle order to go all out and play catch up

The lesser teams, associates can do with an anchor at number 3. Afghanistan try to maximise their batting by using Ibrahim Zadran at 3. That’s fine tbh, they only have a handful of Batsmen who can score their impact runs and it helps if you have one solid batsman at 3.

Ireland on the other hand have decided that they will do their best to emulate England and Australia with their approach. They will do their best to play attacking cricket throughout and not worry about getting bowled out.

Even if we do argue that Pakistan has unreliable batsmen and they need an anchor, or two anchors for that matter…those anchors shouldn’t be opening. It totally defeats the purpose of the powerplay. To top it up, they played a 3rd anchor in their top 3 during the World Cup.

Pakistan lost the plot big time since Mickey was sacked and Babar was given too much power

[MenInG]

What an arrogant person he's getting too big for his boots

You need to have listened to what he said in total

"My S/R in the first 10 overs was around 160. But when you're 6 down early on, you don't try to get that S/R above 200. You rather focus on building a partnership. The momentum breaks down when you lose back-to-back wickets"


Problem is when he did try and pick up the rate he could not execute - doesn't mean he is selfish or padding stats - this is the blind hatred conclusion.

[VForVendetta]

The word anchor and T20s should not be mentioned in the same sentence.

Imagine an England player in a T20I saying to his coach or team-mates, I'm playing the anchor role. They'd kick him out straight away.

Exactly,I don't remember even in 07 wt20, anybody talking about requirement of anchor when the format was pretty raw & at primary stage. Only here in subcontinent, we will see such outdated & honesty nonsensical theory. For a long period in BD team, Tamim had the exact same excuses to hog a place in the side.Finally BCB grew a pair & threw him out even though they had to face massive backlash from his worshippers. There are people saying Babar has grown selfish & that's why he can't finish properly. I am afraid it's more to with ability (or lack of) rather than his perceived selfish streak. He simply isn't a natural ball striker. Doesn't have the power or skills.Unfortunately he never worked hard enough on his game to take it to the next level. Something Kohli did in 11/12 or AB did in 08/09. I am afraid Pak cricket & fans are probably in for a rude awakening in the world cup regarding Babar. I want to be proven wrong, but knocks like this or the ones he played against NZ or NED prove otherwise.

[Rana]

You need to have listened to what he said in total

"My S/R in the first 10 overs was around 160. But when you're 6 down early on, you don't try to get that S/R above 200. You rather focus on building a partnership. The momentum breaks down when you lose back-to-back wickets"

He batted really well for once in the powerplay

After a long, long time

[MenInG]

He batted really well for once in the powerplay

After a long, long time

Agreed

As Saj pointed out

A real struggle for Babar Azam towards the end of his innings against Islamabad United. Last 18 balls he faced:

1 1 . 1 1 1 . 1 1 2 . 1 1 2 2lb . 1 1#PSL8 #PZvIU

— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) February 23, 2023

and this was his reaction at the end

[gibsyhesperis]

I think the reality is that the T20 game has moved on and players like Babar, Root, Williamson will need to define their role in their respective sides.

The evolution is inevitable and it happened progressively in the 50 over game (teams such as England played variants of their Test side for years, with limited success -- England needed the Strauss one day reboot to change things).

[MenInG]

Azam Khan in his presser:

"Opening is a different position, middle order is different. Middle order has lesser balls to play with. Either you'll be 40 for 4 in the powerplay, or you'll be 120 for 3 and you'll have to finish things off."

"It is a very tricky number, people normally see averages in this regard, but the main thing is strike-rate. If you look at the top power hitters in the world, their averages don't matter. T20 is all about impact. Babar bhai is right, that if your team is six down then at the end you have to carry your team. I think criticizing a world-class player is unfair, my mindset is different when I play."

[Buffet]

He does not have a game for T-20 so question of suffering does not exist.

[jnaveen1980]

He does not have a game for T-20 so question of suffering does not exist.

Yup. Simple stats can clearly show he doesn't have the authoritative stroke play that you associate with dominating top level players. Six hitting ability is one of the key requirement for a T20 player. He simply doesn't have it.

[jnaveen1980]

Azam Khan in his presser:

"Opening is a different position, middle order is different. Middle order has lesser balls to play with. Either you'll be 40 for 4 in the powerplay, or you'll be 120 for 3 and you'll have to finish things off."

"It is a very tricky number, people normally see averages in this regard, but the main thing is strike-rate. If you look at the top power hitters in the world, their averages don't matter. T20 is all about impact. Babar bhai is right, that if your team is six down then at the end you have to carry your team. I think criticizing a world-class player is unfair, my mindset is different when I play."

He is not wrong. You walk in with fields spread. Opening in T20 is a relatively easier job. Guys like SKY, Miller, Stoinis are the game deciders.

[sweep_shot]

I think Babar's T20 game is okay. Every team needs one accumulator and he can do that well.

The issue is the power-hitters aren't consistent enough.

Also, Rizwan-Babar at the top is not good. Rizwan is an accumulator too; you don't need two accumulators at the top. Rizwan should be dropped now that there is Mohammad Haris (who can keep and bat aggressively).

[Saj]

Babar bhai is right, that if your team is six down then at the end you have to carry your team. I think criticizing a world-class player is unfair, my mindset is different when I play."

15 runs off 18 balls at the end of an innings was not good enough and deserves criticism, whether the team was 2 4 6 or 8 wickets down.

[Saj]

Problem is when he did try and pick up the rate he could not execute - doesn't mean he is selfish or padding stats - this is the blind hatred conclusion.

Just because someone criticises a player doesn't mean it is blind hatred.

Or is nobody allowed to criticise Babar Azam?

If a player has been batting throughout the innings and scores 15 off the last 18 balls he received in the innings, he deserves criticism, irrespective of who he is.

[hitthestump]

The word anchor and T20s should not be mentioned in the same sentence.

Imagine an England player in a T20I saying to his coach or team-mates, I'm playing the anchor role. They'd kick him out straight away.

Of course they don't need anchors. An all time t20 Pakistan XI would get smashed by England's 2nd string today. We can't hold a candle to the kind of hitting talent that they possess.

Pakistan is in a much different position though.

[jnaveen1980]

There are no anchors in ENgland's test line up. We are talking about anchors in T20 lol

[sweep_shot]

There are no anchors in ENgland's test line up. We are talking about anchors in T20 lol

Haha! True.

England play a different game. No team can currently match that.

But, England do have one T20 accumulator and that is Dawid Malan.

[Saj]

Haha! True.

England play a different game. No team can currently match that.

But, England do have one T20 accumulator and that is Dawid Malan.

Malan's strike-rate in T20Is is an impressive 135.71.