Babar Azamās limited-overs exploits manifests greatness
One year into Babar Azamās career, people were already drawing comparisons to Sir Vivian Richards. He was busy shredding the record books in Abu Dhabi, while being unaware of where he stood in history. No one else had scored more runs in 18 ODI innings than Babarās 886.
Isnāt that a sign of greatness? But Pakistan fans wouldnāt buy it, would they?Ā
After all, itās a team that has had many passing heroes or prodigies who never really made it as generational stars. Many Pakistan players have come, drawn comparisons with a Sachin Tendulkar or a Virat Kohli and eventually did nothing worthwhile to leave an eternal mark. After all, a Fleetwood Mac would never become a Led Zeppelin. To be the best, you need to stand out and continue to weave magic for a long time to be remembered as an age-defining talent.Ā
Salman Butt was promising, wasnāt he? Even taking into consideration too many players wouldnāt go down the same road as him, players like Azhar Ali or an Ahmed Shehzad, too, had made scintillating starts. But as Pakistan kept believing they would emulate Kohli, their stars faded out in the abyss. Pakistan thought that Umar Akmal was a great talent too, but his colourful career only had the hues and not the design. And once again, the fans had to hold the good old hands of nostalgia with memories of rare giants Javed Miandad and Mohammad Yousuf.Ā
Hence, the incredulity. But given how self-contradictory and emotionally driven the human nature is, Pakistan have found a new hero to worship.Ā But what are the qualities in Babar which show that his potential greatness will stand tall through the test of time?Ā
We got some substantiating answers for you.Ā
One big shortcoming of Pakistan, unfortunately a team defining one, is their on and off form. We may call it unpredictable, but itās just a euphemism for inadequate. We often ignore the underlying problem when it comes to Pakistan. The team has produced incongruous bowling personalities like Imran Khan, Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram and even Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, yet havenāt been able to produce the same quality in batting. Why, weāll never know.Ā Ā
And now they have a Babar Azam who, according to CricViz, has a rare advanced Timing Rating of 100. The three figures define nothing but pure quality of contact made by the batsman based on the shot they play and the resulting score from those shots. Itās about how many different ways can a batsman execute the one shot. An on-drive on the up, one succinctly timed push through the covers, one flick that sounds like the voice of a nightingale, his shots just donāt sound different, but also has a characteristic beauty to it.Ā According to the Cricviz database, the only other player to have registered 100 as a Timing Rating is AB de Villiers. An age defining talent, isnāt he?
After this revelation in the World Cup 2019 game between India and Pakistan, Babar Azam went on to secure another set of records to his name, playing against New Zealand. His unbeaten 101 off 127 against the undefeated Kiwis not only took Pakistan to victory but also earned him personal accolades. Babar became the second fastest batsman to cross 3000 ODI runs, while also maintaining an average above 50, and also became the first middle-order Pakistan batsman to score a World Cup hundred in 32 years.Ā
Remember the rant of the Pakistan fan outside Old Trafford, whose video went viral, after the team lost to India? The fans had a real reason to celebrate this time. They were not only celebrating a much-needed win to stay in the World Cup race, but also the rise of a star. As I think youād have guessed, itās Babar Azam.
But now the real question arises, who is Babar in the age of the āFab Fourā?Ā
We have spoken about his quality, why he stands out, and to substantiate it further, we also bring in exactly where he stands among the Fab Four in terms of just quality.Ā
According to Cricviz, among the players who have scored 1000 or more ODI runs since the Champions Trophy 2017, Babar Azamās name comes right after his contemporaries - Kane Williamson, Joe Root, and Virat Kohli - in terms of the lowest false shot percentages.Ā
Ā Ā© CricVizNow that we have proven his quality, letās dig deep into the batsmanās numbers in limited-overs, wherein he sports an average of above 50 across both formats.
Looking directly at his T20I numbers, with a sample space of 36 games, we know theyāre exceptional. Since his debut in 2016, among players who have scored 1000 runs or more, he sports the highest batting average. Even better than Rohit Sharmaās!
Highest T20I average(min 1000 runs) since Babar Azamās debutĀ
What weāve done here is, we have looked back into the numbers of the generationās best batsmen and checked where they stood after 36 T20Is.Ā
[Joe Root has played lesser T20Is than Babar, Steve Smith as many.]
Coming to ODIs, he stands out as exceptional. Hereās why.
While the talented Rohit Sharma started off his career, shadowing Virat Kohli, it took years for the latter to get to where he is today. Steve Smith was an ordinary legspinner whose Pokemon like evolution into becoming the best Test batsman across ages is legendary. For Kane Williamson, it has always been about being at his very best for the team. For Joe Root, it was always about being relevant among the best of his contemporaries, and of course, about Englandās pride.Ā
By the time Babar made his debut, this generation had chalked out its āFab Fourā. But then rose this player, who weāre already obsessed with only five minutes into reading this article, from the grave of Pakistanās batting.Ā The numbers Iām going to put forward are just to make place for him in an unaccepting world. A place he has forced into taking quite gracefully.Ā
Comparing Babar Azamās current average to where the āFab Fourā stood after same no. of ODIs.Ā Ā
A rather uncontested territory for Babar when it comes to being compared to the best ever Pakistan batsmen.
Highest ODI average by a Pakistan batsman(minimum 3000 runs):
Now comes the factor that bridges the gap between potential greatness and greatness- consistency. And Babarās numbers across seasons since his debut show maturity oozing out in the form of consistency. Sure, the batsman has made his own share of mistakes. Hence, the little irregularity. But great players, like everyone else, are allowed to make mistakes, and the trick is to rectify them without letting weakness overpower it.
Babar Azam's numbers across years in T20IsĀ Ā© ESPNCricinfo
Babar Azam's numbers across years in ODIsĀ Ā© ESPNCricinfoNow, let me ask you a question.Ā
But before that, let me take you through a small anecdote. A story which accepts the mistakes of a great batsman and turns him into an inspiration
"We didn't have answers, he was too good," said Steve Waugh after Sachin Tendulkarās 241 in 2004 at the SCG. The story behind it was not Sachin-like. The greatest batsman of his time was struggling with the bat and got dismissed a couple of times to balls bowled outside the off-stump by the Aussies. Sachin made sure that didnāt repeat the same mistake at the SCG again, and cautiously produced a gem of a double hundred.Ā
If Babar Azam does the same, would you all be surprised?
Like Sachin, he knows what shots to not play. Like Virat Kohli, he knows how many ways are there to hit an exact same delivery. Babar Azam is an amalgamation of an age-old class and is a generational wonder.Ā
If talent means anything in cricket, then Babar Azam will keep causing wonders with the bat.Ā If consistency means anything in the sport, then Babar Azam wonāt fade away. If numbers mean anything in the game we love so much, this generation will be remembered as the generation of the āFab Fiveā.