Hail the King

Pakistan skipper bagged ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year and Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year

Pakistan cricket fans, probably not in their wildest dreams, imagined that a batter as consistent as Babar Azam will be a part of their team. The Green Caps have always dominated the world with their pace bowling, while their batting has always been a point of worry.

The fans of the Men-in-Green have been habitual of seeing their team go one down for nought, two down for three, three down for 15 and even four down for one (against the West Indies in the 2015 World Cup).

As Babar made his debut and became a regular feature of the team, Pakistan cricket fans got to experience what consistency feels like. What certainty feels like. What trusting a batter feels like.

Last year, the skipper was named ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year, while his teammates Mohammad Rizwan bagged ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year and Shaheen Afridi was awarded ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year.

This time around, Babar is named captain of the ICC’s ODI Team of the Year. He once again clinched the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year and to top it off, he also claimed Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year Award.

Interestingly, this year Babar was seen struggling to score on numerous occasions. However, he ended the year with over 2,500 runs across formats. He scored 1,184 Test runs at a tick under 70, 679 at 85 in ODI cricket, and led his side to the T20 World Cup semi-final in Australia, making 735 runs at a strike rate of 123 across the year in T20I play.

The 28-year-old’s consistency is just unmatched when it is compared to Pakistan batters, especially in ODIs.

Yes, it is too early to elevate him to the stature of Javed Miandad, Zaheer Abbas, Inzamam Ul Haq or Saeed Anwar. But, if you see his numbers, you would be compelled to acknowledge his greatness.

The right-handed batter has scored 4,813 runs so far in 50-over cricket at an astounding average of 59.41. Among the former Pakistan batting greats, Zaheer Abbas has the best average after him, which is 47.62.

The modern-day great is growing as a Test cricketer too. He has played some courageous knocks in recent times. He showed glimpses of his potential in the longest format of the game when he played a 196-run inning against Australia in a match-saving cause. However, he is still evolving as a batter.

Despite Babar’s unreal numbers in international cricket, irrespective of the conditions he is playing, the opposition he is facing and other factors, he is subjected to brutal criticism. He has not been the best leader and he can be called out for that, but to criticise Babar-the-batter, it doesn’t really add up.

Yes, Babar is not what India’s Virat Kohli is. But when Pakistan fans or experts compare him with the likes of Kohli or Steve Smith, they must take into account the vulnerable history of Pakistan’s batting and the quality of players playing around him.

As fellow Pakistanis are busy finding ways to drag him down by accusing him of favouring a few players, of being selfish, of scoring runs and winning games against weaker oppositions and other similar aspects, the world is singing praises for him.

‘Scary thought’

Australia’s former captain and batting great Rickey Ponting believes that the world is yet to see the best of Babar Azam as batters find their grove in their early 30s and it is a scary thought for teams around the world.

“He’s probably not (at his peak). Most batters come into their prime at the start of their early thirties,” he said while speaking to the ICC. “You’re sort of working on your game and improving your game right through to a certain point. And that for most guys is it. You look at where Steve Smith and (David) Warner and those guys have been.

“So I think Babar’s still got a little bit of improvement to come, which is a pretty scary thought with what he’s been able to do, pretty much across all three formats over the last three, four years. I love watching him play. I think there’s some room for improvement, let’s hope we see it.”

The two-time World Cup-winning captain believes Babar will end his career as an all-time great for Pakistan. He has a long journey ahead of him, but the way he has been playing, he is likely to end right there at the top when he would play his final inning.

“He’s on the upward curve now to maybe go down as the all-time greatest. I know there’s Inzamam (ul-Haq) and Younis Khan and those sorts of guys who’ve got more runs than him.

“By the time he’s finished, his numbers I’m sure will stack up along with the very best Pakistan has produced, which will be great for him, but also all the cricket fans around the world who enjoy watching him play.”