Babar Azam still has plenty to prove as an ODI batter
Before the ODI series against England, Babar Azam seemed on course to become the fastest-ever men’s cricketer to score 4000 ODI runs. At that juncture, he required 192 runs in 2 innings to surpass Hashim Amla. However, had he gotten those many runs in 3 innings, he would still have leveled the South African great, meaning that history seemed to beckon for Babar.
So far, though, nothing of the sort has transpired, with Babar tallying a grand total of 19 runs from 2 matches. In both games, the Pakistan captain has been dismissed by Saqib Mahmood for meagre scores inside the Power Play – something that has directly contributed to the visitors wilting for consecutive sub-200 totals.
More importantly, this series against England, apart from being defining from a personal standpoint, also represented a massive opportunity for Pakistan. Not only were they competing against a highly-changed outfit, they had most of their players in form, courtesy of the recently-concluded Pakistan Super League.
Yet, in some respects, Babar’s dwindling returns have embodied the kind of struggles the tourists have endured. And if that wasn’t enough, the string of low scores have again cast light on Babar's pedigree in ODI cricket and if he remains one of the premier batters in the format.
If raw numbers are considered, there aren’t many who can hold a candle to Babar in ODI cricket. To place things into context, he averages 55.46 in ODIs, having amassed 3827 runs in just 80 innings (82 matches). Moreover, he has a relatively healthy strike rate of 88.79, which considering the woes Pakistan have elsewhere, is quite commendable.
In blunter terms, Babar has been the sole custodian of Pakistan’s batting unit and their fortunes are intricately intertwined with how the right-handed batter performs. Though that is not a crime, especially when one possesses the kind of talent Babar does, it also highlights the troughs rather vividly.
Over the years, the Pakistan faithful have regularly compared Babar to Virat Kohli, owing to the similarities both have in terms of their roles and their run-accumulating mechanisms. Almost always, the contention has been founded on Babar’s average and ability to keep churning out runs – a voice that has grown in decibel with Kohli not setting the world alight lately.
That argument, though, undermines quite a few flaws that Babar has. Or, in simpler words, shortcomings that mean the Pakistan captain still has plenty to prove in ODI cricket.
Babar Azam has a middling ODI record against top teams
So far, Babar has played 40 innings (out of 80) against Australia, England, India and New Zealand. However, he only averages 41.70 against those sides, which considering his overall tally of 55.46 is quite remarkable. Additionally, he also operates at a lower strike (86.44 as compared to 88.79) against these teams – again, something that highlights his lack of impact in these “big” games.
If one were to dissect it further, his record against India is particularly woeful, for he has only managed 158 runs across 5 innings, at an average of 31.60 and a strike rate of 75.96. Furthermore, only 3 of his 13 ODI tons have come against Australia, England, India and New Zealand.
Thus, these stats suggest that Babar isn’t able to play his natural game against the aforementioned outfits, meaning that he has to then resort to shots that he would’ve ideally avoided. Moreover, with the Pakistan batting unit not in fine fettle, this has a detrimental effect on the batting performance.
In contrast, some of the other acclaimed ODI batters, namely Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Kane Williamson, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have exceptional records against their nearest competitors.
Joe Root perhaps mirrors the trend Babar portrays, averaging 42.85 against Australia, India and New Zealand. The former’s overall average, meanwhile, stands at 51.33. The strike rate also drops to 82.70, as opposed to 86.84.
Kane Williamson also has a slightly lesser average against Australia, England and India. The difference, though, isn’t as stark. His overall average is 47.48, whereas his corresponding numbers are 44.40.
Virat Kohli, too, has astounding stats against Australia, England and New Zealand. And, though those have taken a bit of a hit recently, they are still numbers that Babar might envy.
Against these teams, Kohli averages 52.97. While the differential (with respect to his overall average) nearly equals 6 runs, an average of 52.97 and a strike rate of 93.82 (which, incidentally, is higher) illustrates why India have had so much success recently.
Another batter India have relied on over the past few years is Rohit Sharma and the Mumbai Indians skipper also boasts a terrific record against Australia, England and New Zealand. In fact, he is one of only two batters that have been mentioned to possess a higher average when facing these teams.
Overall, Rohit averages 48.96 in ODI, having creamed 9205 runs across 220 innings. When pitted against Australia, England and New Zealand, though, the average zings up to 50.07.
Similarly, Jonny Bairstow – another modern-day ODI great, averages 50.83 when confronting Australia, India and New Zealand. Impressively, he strikes at more than 104 runs per 100 balls against these outfits.
Thus, stats highlight that Babar has plenty of miles to traverse before casting himself as one of the best batters in ODI cricket. Though there might be a temptation to present his average and hint otherwise, those numbers are skewed, for his record against some of the better ODI teams doesn’t really translate into the hype that he has generated.
Having said that, it would be naïve to term Babar as an ordinary batter, for he is anything but that. On his day, he is a match-winner and one capable of evoking collective glances of admiration. So far in his career, though, those glimpses have been against sides that wouldn’t form the cream of the crop in ODI cricket.
Unwittingly, with Babar also acting as the sole beacon of inspiration for the Pakistan batting unit, his struggles against the best teams have personified his country’s displays of abjectness. And that, more than anything else, perhaps explains why the Men In Green crumble so often against the likes of Australia, England, India and New Zealand.
Before the current assignment against the Three Lions commenced, there was palpable hope that Babar would write his own chapter in cricketing folklore. Barring a miracle, that seems highly unlikely now.
Over time, though, Babar will certainly have his place in the ODI history books, for he is too good a batter to be ignored completely. The only question then would be whether an asterisk would be attached to his records, which unfortunately, is the case at present.