D
Dutch
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To be fair they were on a hiding to nothing there.
I swear to God, if they collapse like a house of cards when batting...
There is a genuine case for Babar in the Fab 5.but all these comparisons by their media to the "fab 4"
There is a genuine case for Babar in the Fab 5.
Can’t answer the rest of your post, because I don’t watch Pakistani media.
The "Fab4" itself is a load of bulls!t.
Joe Root is not in that category by any stretch of the imagination although he could revitalise his claim to it with a few good years.
Virat Kohli is his own category in LOI. The rest are all a level below.
Azam has got some tons in Australia on flat decks and that's it. He's a finished product in ODI's but he's not even top 10 in T20I's. Again, he's a bit like what Virat Kohli was before he truly became Virat Kohli. I think he can become even better but he needs to gain some strength and power and add a dimension to his game to get there. He does not have it now.
I would like to add to the Williamson argument. Sorry for the long post.I'd say a 'Dynamic Duo' of Smith and Kohli is more realistic. Kohli in every format and Smith just so good in tests to elevate what he may lack in the other formats. I'd put Root and Williamson just below them, I'd put Williamson ahead in tests but Root has been very, very good in ODI cricket the last few years. Probably under the radar because of Bairstow's emergence.
I'd say Babar is nearing the second tier overall, a few more hundreds in test cricket and coming to England and doing the business as Kohli came back and did a couple of years ago. I don't think doing it in England is the be all and end all but it's the hardest place to get consistent big runs.
You can call it MSD effect.Sub-continental teams usually do not show that appreciation, but I think that's changing for the better.
Shafiq used to be my favorite player at one point in time. Now, I want him to be removed from the XIShafiq is one player I was once a fan of but he has been on and off form player for way too long now.
I just hope that he does not score big and seal his place again. I'd prefer watching the youngster Haider Ali instead of him.
Man, I am starting to lose interest in this Pakistan team. I watched only a single over yesterday. Previously, I'd never even miss a single over.
Yes, we know Pakistan is mercurial and unpredictable but currently, it is just exceptionally poor at times.
This is good once in a while but now I'm anything but unaccustomed to these defeats and losses.
Now, wait for Zimbabwe to tour in October and whitewash them 3-0. We'll consider ourselves world-beaters again and get humiliated in New Zealand next month.
Exactly, he’s not a Kohli type player who will try to dominate the opposition and finish the match with a rain of boundaries, or a Warner type player, whose job is to get 70 runs in the powerplay. His job is to get us to 90 after 10 overs, get a decent fifty off 30-35 balls, and then take off if he can. @Aislabie would call him a dynamic accumulator. In that role, there isn’t anyone better.The 'Fab Four' has essentially lost all it's meaning now.
When Crowe introduced that term, it was just to group together four players who were supposed to have a similar career trajectory and have a successful career. And for the most part it has been true; they've all been leaders for their sides (shame on you Smith!), they've all averaged above 50 (shame on you Root!) and they've all been worthy contenders for the title of the greatest batsman that their country has arguably produced. At no point was it meant to say that 'these four lads are going to be the best batsmen in all formats till the end of their careers' and that is how I think it should be seen. It is just the media all over the world doing it's job trying to hype up these four.
While two players essentially dominate red ball and white ball cricket respectively, I don't think there is a huge difference between the other three in the other formats (although Root's terrible form in tests, captaincy or not might have a thing to say about it soon). Smith may not average that low in ODIs overall but he averages 54 as a number three which is his best position. Similarly Root's impact may not be as good in a setup that isn't packed to the brim with power hitters. And neither of them would fare badly in T20s were they to focus on it consistently instead of the odd BBL stint. We definitely get bogged down too much on the comparisons sometimes, it is rare that we get to see four high quality batsmen playing and peaking at the same time and like the 80s all-rounders battles, we may not realise how good we had it until they are gone.
Re Azam; I can't think of ten batsmen that are a better option than him in T20s. Off the top of my head in no particular order
- Buttler
- Warner
- Finch
- Kohli
- Rohit
- Maxwell
- Rahul
These are the players I would place over Azam for sure and some of them are doubtful too. While he does have some issues with being aggressive at times, his strike-rate has soared beyond 130 over the last two years and for an accumulator like him that is quite good. You cannot accuse of him of stat-padding either as he averages above 40 versus all but Sri Lanka and has a fifty in nearly every three games internationally. How long does he have to play well (and he is improving which is the scary though, imagine how much better he could be!) for people to acknowledge him as a world-class batter in T20s?