When Babar and Rizwan bat the way they did in Karachi last night, Pakistan don't need a middle order.

Babar and Rizwan shut down all critics questioning their presence as openers for Pakistan, their strike rate, their ability to utilize the powerplay to full potential, the pressure they were placing on the middle order, and all such garbage that was being said by experts and fans.

Last night in Karachi, the two champion batsmen showed the world why they are the best opening pair for Pakistan and why they are the best batsmen in T20 cricket in the world!

During the epic chase, Pakistan, along with Babar and Rizwan, created a number of records.

Yes, the feat has not even been achieved in franchise T20 cricket, let alone internationals.

Pakistan now have two entries in the list of highest scores chased without losing a wicket in T20Is.

Not too long back they were ranked number 1 and number 2 in T20Is. The latest rankings have them at 1 and 4. I think when the rankings are updated next week, they will be number 1 and 2 again.

Undoubtedly, these two are simply the best in the world. What they achieved last night was quite unbelievable.

Having said that, if anyone had asked me before last night about which opening pair was the most likely to chase a score of over 200 without being dismissed in a T20I, I would have named these two!

Their ability to chase big totals in T20Is is quite unparalleled.

Babar and Rizwan now hold the record for 2 of the highest 5 partnerships in T20Is.

The partnership of 203* was their 5th partnership of 150 or more. No other pair in T20Is even comes close to that many 150+ partnerships.

Babar and Rizwan broke their own record of 197, which they had put on against South Africa last year.

Babar and Rizwan now have the highest partnership runs, most number of centuries, and the best partnership average in all T20Is.

Yes you heard that right. Anyone who has any reservations about their strike rates or their impact at the top of the innings is only delusional.

Not only do they have the top two averages among openers in T20Is, they also have strike rates as good as other openers around the world.

When measuring their impact, I used an adjusted average metric (Average x Strike Rate / 100) to determine the overall impact made by an opener in T20Is.

The result is here for everyone to see and wonder.

Anything I say about him will not be enough praise, nor will it do full justice, to the absolute talent that he is as a batsman.

Babar Azam is the best batsman in the world across formats.

Here is what he achieved last night with his epic unbeaten knock of 110.

2. Babar joined Faf Du Plessis and David Warner as the only three batsmen in this world who have scored a century in each format at the same ground - Karachi, the Wanderers, and Adelaide Oval, respectively.

He also has the third most runs in T20Is as captain; is only behind Virat Kohli in terms of average as captain; and is ahead of everyone else with 16 50s as captain.

He got there in only 218 innings, 5 more than the Universe Boss - Chris Gayle.

I am still in awe of what Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan achieved last night.

And I am still in shock at experts and fans who have been harping on about how Pakistan needs to change their opening combination.

Last night was a good reminder about previous chases of 208, 201, and 189. Of previous wins set up by Babar and Rizwan. Of the so many platforms that these two have provided this team.

It is not their fault that the middle order is not good enough. It is surely their fault that the middle order does not get enough chances to bat, but certainly not their fault if the middle order can't finish games.

Babar and Rizwan will not always do what they did against England in the second T20I of the 7 match series.

They can't be expected to set up a platform as well as finish games. At times they will do both, at times they will just do their part and leave it to the rest to finish, at times they will fail.

Pakistan has two champions at the top of their order who need to be cherished by one and all. Such batsmen are produced once in generations. Savor their performances!

Pakistan have now extended their winning streak to 8 international matches following the 3-0 whitewash of the West Indies in the ODI series.

The whitewash also helped Pakistan improve their ODI ranking to 8, making their path to the World Cup in 2019 a little bit easier.


Pakistan's impressive limited overs performances over the past month has got a lot to do with a new look top order comprising Azhar Ali, Sharjeel Khan, and Babar Azam in ODIs and the latter two with Khalid Latif in T20s.

Babar Azam especially has been extremely special. His batting has been so magical that it has entertained our neighbors as well.


Babar created a number of records during this series and is also on the verge of creating some others. Here is a look at what Babar has managed to do in his young ODI career.

1. Most ODI Runs after 18 innings

Babar has now scored 886 runs in 18 ODI innings. That is the highest tally for any ODI batsman ever, breaking Sir Viv Richards' tally of 883 runs in as many innings.

That is some name to be mentioned with in the same sentence.

2. Third Consecutive ODI Hundred

Only two batsmen from Pakistan, Zaheer Abbas and Saeed Anwar, and 5 other international batsmen, had managed this feat before Babar Azam.

He is now the 8th batsman to do so and the second youngest after Quinton de Kock.

Babar's tally of 360 is the second highest, after Gibb's 385 for 3 consecutive centuries in ODIs.


It is quite amusing to see India's name appear so many times in this table above.

3. Most Runs in a 3-match ODI Series

Babar's 360 runs in the 3 ODIs against the West Indies broke Quinton de Kock's record of the most runs score in a 3-match ODI series.


4. Fastest to 3 ODI Centuries for Pakistan

Nasir Jamshed scored his 3rd ODI hundred in his 21st innings. Saeed Anwar had done so in his 33rd.

Babar has done the same in 18 ODI innings. getting there faster than any other batsman from Pakistan.

5. Fastest to 1,000 ODI Runs

The fastest to the feat have been Sir Viv Richards, Kevin Pietersen, Jonathan Trott, and Quinton de Kock, who got there in 21 ODI innings.

With Babar only 114 runs away from the 1,000 run mark, he can break this record if he gets there in his next 2 ODI innings. He can equal it if he takes 3 innings for another 114 ODI runs.

I reckon he can get there in his next innings!

For perspective, it took Virat Kohli 24 innings.




Babar is not the only one who created records during this series against the West Indies.

Pakistan's ODI captain, Azhar Ali, who produced his third ODI century in the final match of the series after disappointing in the first 2 ODIs, became the first captain from Pakistan to score 3 ODI centuries.


I was quite surprised at this given that batsmen like Javed Miandad and Inzamam Ul Haq have captained Pakistan in many ODIs.

It is shocking to note that Javed Miandad never scored an ODI century while captaining Pakistan.

Inzamam's and Shahid Afridi's two centuries as captain were the highest tally before Azhar's third.

Extraordinary!

Exciting times for Pakistan's ODI cricket with Babar Azam batting like a master and Azhar Ali leading them to clean sweeps and a notch higher in the rankings.

Pakistan has now won 7 international matches in a row, a streak that started with the win in the final ODI against England and includes a T20 win against England, 3 T20 wins against West Indies, and 2 ODI wins against West Indies.

Considering that this streak is in white ball cricket, it is even more commendable given the dire straits Pakistan's limited overs teams have been in for the past few years.

Moreover, don't forget that those results include dominating victories over both the World T20 finalists!

For skeptics who will turn around and say that they are only winning in the UAE against a weak West Indies side, let me remind you that the first 2 wins of this 7 match streak came in England, including a first ever chase of a 300+ total outside Asia, while the same "weak" West Indies was just beating Australia and South Africa at home a month and a half ago.

So no, you skeptics cannot take the sweetness away from these wins.

The Pakistan Under-19 Link

The best part about these wins is that the players at the forefront have been Pakistan's newest young crop of talent; the likes of Sarfraz Ahmed, Sharjeel Khan, Babar Azam, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Nawaz, and Hassan Ali.

It is after ages that Pakistan has got a bunch of talented youngsters in their team at the same time.

In the early 90s, we witnessed the likes of Waqar Younis, Aqib Javed, Inzamam Ul Haq, Aamer Sohail, Mushtaq Ahmed, and Moin Khan form a core group of young talent within Pakistan's ranks.

The late 90s saw Shoaib Akhtar, Shahid Afridi, Saqlain Mushtaq, Shoaib Malik, Abdul Razzaq, Azhar Mahmood, Mohammad Yousuf, and Younis Khan do the same.

Since then Pakistan have sporadically introduced talent, but never in a group like now.

You know the one common link between those stars introduced in the early 90s, late 90s, and now?

Pakistan U19!

Why more U19 players were not drafted in between 2000 and 2015 is anyone's guess!

Babar Azam

The player that has impressed me the most is the youngest of the lot, Babar Azam.

He had a sterling start to his ODI career compiling 5 fifties in his first 10 ODIs. Those knocks came against all comers including Zimbabwe, England, and New Zealand.

He scored 50s on batting friendly pitches in Lahore and the UAE, as well as, in bowler friendly conditions in New Zealand.

The ODI series against England was a disappointment though. He got 30s and 40s and looked extremely good while at the crease, however every single one of his dismissals was a question mark on his temperament. Loose shots, loss of concentration, and recklessness made me think he was another Umar Akmal in the making.

But his last two ODI knocks have been magnificent, and with those he has truly arrived on the big stage.

Back to back centuries in ODIs have placed him among a select few and he has the chance to be in absolute elite company if he can manage another century in the third ODI against the West Indies.

Scoring a ton is not easy, irrespective of how weak the opposition's bowling is. To follow that up with another ton is a sign of greatness. It is so easy to fall into complacency and sit on your laurels.

Babar's first 17 ODIs have produced more runs than anyone who has played for Pakistan before him.

Here is a comparison of where he stands after 17 ODI innings among Pakistani ODI greats and his peers who were once considered the next big thing for Pakistan.

In terms of runs and average in the first 17 ODI innings, no one even comes close to Babar.

His 2 centuries are matched by Inzamam and Ahmed Shehzad, while his 5 fifties are matches by Mohammad Yousuf and Nasir Jamshed. His strike rate is bettered by Nasir and Saeed Anwar.

He is in great company in that table and has given us a lot of promise for the future.

I did a similar comparison of Babar's performance in the first 17 ODIs of his career with other ODI greats and his international peers who are currently dominating ODI cricket.

It is really interesting to note that Babar tops this list too with more runs in his first 17 ODI innings than Kohli, Root, Amla, and Ponting did.

The similarity between Babar Azam's and Virat Kohli's record after 17 ODIs is uncanny.

So many Pakistanis have asked "hume Kohli jaisa batsman kab milega?" ...

Babar hum sab ko jawab de raha hai.

Yes I know that it is really early to compare Babar Azam with the greats. But there is no reason why we can't celebrate the start to his career.

This is a solid platform that he has laid for himself that will eventually lead him to greatness.

He is surely the most exciting batting talent that Pakistan has produced in the past decade and a half.

Yes we said the same about Umar Akmal, Nasir Jamshed, and Ahmed Shehzad; but Babar truly seems like the real deal.

Critics who are saying lets see what Babar can do in foreign conditions, I point them to his 62 and 83 in Wellington and Auckland respectively.

For those who are saying it is too early to compare him with Kohli or for that matter anyone else, I completely agree but it amuses me when the same people say that Imad is better than Afridi and should have been playing many years ago instead of him.

So we can't compare Babar with Kohli but we can compare Imad with Afridi?

Why is it so hard to celebrate our heroes? And so easy to put them down?

Look at what he has achieved and is achieving. Celebrate the feats.

Babar is only 21. There is a long road ahead.

We all know that.

But that should not stop us from celebrating his mega entry on to the world stage.

With over 1,000 ODI runs, 5 ODI centuries in 25 innings, an average of 56.78, and a strike rate of 90.50 - at the age of 22 - I think extremely special.

BEST EVER ODI AVERAGE

That average of 56.78 is the second best average ever in ODI cricket; and if you exclude associate nations, then Babar Azam currently has the best ever ODI average of all time.

Among these 10 batsmen with the best ODI averages of all time, Babar has the third best strike rate, behind the magnificent AB de Villiers and very marginally behind the great Virat Kohli.

For Babar to be spoken of in the same breath as ABD and Kohli, he will have to sustain this performance and average for at least another 100 ODIs.

With the start he has achieved, I do not have any doubts that in about 5 years time, Babar's ODI record will be very similar to that of ABD, Kohli, and Amla.

PHENOMENAL AT NUMBER 3

Out of his 25 ODI innings, Babar has played nine at number three and all of his 5 ODI centuries have come from that position.

Why Pakistan even bothers to change his batting order around is beyond me.

He has been phenomenal at number 3. His average of 95.62 at number 3 is the current best ODI average ever from that position.

Among the 10 batsmen with the best ODI averages at number 3, only ABD and MS Dhoni have a better strike rate than Babar Azam's.

I'll say it again that in order to be considered one of the best alongside Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, Joe Root and other star performers at number 3 in ODIs, Babar will have to sustain this performance for another 30-40 odd ODIs.

Pakistan's team management will have to play its part though, by sustaining with him at number 3.

BEST SRIKE RATE EVER FOR PAKISTAN

There are only two batsmen in all of Pakistan who have a better strike rate than Babar Azam in ODIs - the one and only, Shahid Afridi, and the one who may never play again, Sharjeel Khan.

Never has Pakistan had a batsman like Babar, who scores freely and consistently. Not since Zaheer Abbas, Saeed Anwar, and a young Inzamam Ul Haq anyway.

But even those names (besides Zaheer Abbas) do not feature in the top 10 batting strike rates for Pakistan.

There is also no doubt that Babar is also the best batter in the world across formats. He is the only batter ranked in the top 4 of each format.

I have no doubt that Babar Azam will become the first batter in the world to be ranked 1 in each of the three formats at the same time!

Virat Kohli, Ricky Ponting, and Matthew Hayden are the only ones who have achieved the number 1 ranking in each format; however none of them have held that ranking at the same time.

Babar soon will. You wait and watch.

Besides being a great batsman, Babar is also an impeccable captain. He has grown in stature with every game over the past two years, and he is fast becoming one of the best captains in the game.

Under Babar, Pakistan currently have a win percentage of over 60% in each of the three formats. They have pulled off some amazing victories during this time in T20Is, in ODIs, and even in Tests. The team has a new found belief under him and one can only imagine the great heights this team can reach.

Among the current crop of Test captains, Babar has the second best W:L ratio, behind only Pat Cummins. And his win percentage of 66.7% is behind only that of Ben Stokes and Dean Elgar.

Babar is also one of the only two Test captains in the past 2 years who are averaging over 50 with the bat.

In ODIs, Babar sits second on the list of captains with the best W:L ratio and win percentage, behind Rohit Sharma.

As a batter, Babar has been phenomenal in ODIs. He has the most runs, highest average, highest strike rate, and most centuries as captain in ODIs since the start of 2020.

His average of 83.3 as captain is miles ahead of the next best.

That strike rate of 101.7 is a slap on so many faces, I can't even begin to count.

Even in T20Is, Babar sits second in the list behind Rohit Sharma in terms of W:L ratio.

As a captain in T20Is, Babar also dominates the T20I runs tally over the past 3 years with almost 300 more runs than the next best - Aaron Finch. He also has the second best average among captains, behind Kohli, and has the most number of 50s as captain - more than double of the next best.

A true white ball maestro, Babar's career is moving rapidly towards greatness. He is ruling in all three formats as a captain and as a batter. To think that he has at least another decade of cricket left in him, one can't even begin to imagine where he will end up if he keeps continuing in the same vein.

We have not had a Pakistan team in a while that has been in the running for all three ICC trophies - the WTC, T20 WC, and the ODI WC. 

At least one of those will be in Pakistan's hands before the end of 2023.

If anyone can make it happen, it is the current best cricketer in the world - the one Babar Azam!

In the past three years, from July 2019 to July 2022, Babar has been the best in the world when it comes to Test Cricket. While he has the 6th most runs in test cricket in this period, he has the highest average in this format. If Pakistan got to play as many Tests as England, India, or Australia, you know where he would be in this list.

Nevertheless, that average of 62 is right up there and unmatched at the moment, and whether there is a Fab 4 or a Fab 5 or a Fab anything, Babar is right at the top of that Fab list!

There is no doubt about Babar being the best ODI batsman in the world. He is the second highest run scorer in ODIs in this three year period, and his average of 82 shows how far above and beyond he is than the rest of the pack. No one has scored as many ODI tons as Babar has in this time, and the next best average is 27 runs away!

Is there a Fab list in ODIs or is he the only Fab ONE?

In T20Is, there is no one who has been as consistent as Babar has, barring Virat Kohli over the years and Mohammad Rizwan last year. In this 3 year period, Babar is the second highest run scorer, has the third best average, and the most number of 50s. 

He is by far the best white ball batsman at the moment. No wonder the ICC also ranks him at the top in both formats.

Whether it is number of runs, average, strike rate (that slaps a lot of faces), centuries, or fifties, Babar is at the top of every list across formats in international cricket over the past 3 years.

He is the only batsman in the world who is ranked in the top 5 for each format. He tops the list for two of those formats. 

The rise of Pakistan's ODI and T20 teams, which is now ranked number 1, has been phenomenal. From winning the Champions Trophy to clean sweeping Sri Lanka, it has all unfolded with great thrill for Pakistan fans, and all of us are extremely excited for 2019 and rightly so.

Young blood has truly come to the fore and the rise of Babar Azam and Hasan Ali, coupled with the emergence of new stars like Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, Imam Ul Haq, Imad Wasim, Rumman Raees, and Fahim Ashraf has really set the stage alight for Pakistan's limited overs team.

Here is a look back at what Babar Azam and Hasan Ali have achieved for Pakistan in recent times.

BABAR AZAM
The career of arguably Pakistan's best limited over batsman ever is unfolding right in front of our eyes and Pakistan's ODI batting has not looked this good since the days of Inzamam Ul Haq, which ended a decade ago.

Babar is currently ranked number 4 in the ICC Rankings, behind Kohli, ABD, and Warner.

Babar has rapidly risen the ranks and this year he is among the leading run scorers in ODIs with an average and century tally behind only the Indian duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.


Babar hit his first ODI century on 30 September 2016. Since then he has hit another 6 ODI centuries within a span of 12 months. During this period, he has hit the most ODI centuries, equal with Kohli and Warner, and his average is second only to Kohli.


All of Babar's 7 ODI centuries have come while batting at number 3. Out of all batsmen who have scored at least 1,000 runs while batting at number 3 in ODIs, Babar has the highest average ever, and he is miles ahead of everyone else.


Not only does Babar average better than all batsmen at number 3, he was also quickest to 1,000 runs at the position, breaking the previous record held by Sir Viv Richards.

He also got to 1,000 runs in ODIs quicker than any batsman from Pakistan and equaled the world record of 21 innings, which he jointly holds with Sir Viv Richards, Kevin Pietersen, Jonathan Trott, and Quinton De Kock.


Babar is only 23 and has his entire career ahead of himself. He can achieve wonders and go on to become the best limited overs batsman ever produced by Pakistan.

HASAN ALI
Since making his ODI debut a year and a bit back, Hasan has risen to the status of being Pakistan's most potent striker with the ball. In just 26 ODIs, he has a tally of 56 wickets at a sub-20 average, and a strike rate of 23. In his last 9 ODIs he has picked up a whopping 26 wickets!

Hasan is currently the number 1 ranked bowler in the world. A feat that no pacer from Pakistan achieved since Wasim Akram was on top in 1994.

Hasan recently got to his 50th wicket in only his 24th ODI, breaking the Waqar Younis' record for Pakistan of being the fastest to the 50 wicket tally in ODIs. Hasan reached the tally in the joint second fewest number of ODIs among pacers and third overall.


Among all bowlers who have taken at least 50 wickets in ODIs, Hasan has the best strike rate and the best average EVER!


Hasan is also only 23 years old and has his entire career ahead of him.

Babar and Hasan have a lot to do with Pakistan's recent ODI success. They are on a streak of 9 consecutive ODI wins, which is their third best streak, behind the 10 they achieved in 1990 and their record of 12 achieved in 2008.

Both of them can take Pakistan to even greater heights in the future years.

Pakistan isn't playing any cricket at the moment, but the past two days have been quite happening for Pakistan cricket.

It started with Chief Selector, Mohammad Wasim, announcing Pakistan's 15 man squad for the World T20. 

Which was followed by the resignations of Pakistan's head coach, Misbah Ul Haq, and bowling coach, Waqar Younis. 

These resignations have Rameez Raja written all over them.

Rameez does not assume the PCB Chairman role till September 13; however he has been involved with the PCB from the day his appointment was announced.

His input was taken for the WT20 squad, and he had made his intentions clear regarding the future of Misbah and Waqar.

More drama followed with media reports about Babar Azam not being happy with squad selection, and further reports that Mohammad Rizwan will replace Babar as Test captain.

And then, this morning, a statement was released by the PCB CEO, Wasim Khan, refuting all speculations being made in the media.

No dull day in Pakistan cricket!

Let us now get back to the most contentious subject - Pakistan's squad for the WT20.

At first glance, I was disappointed with some of the selections. The inclusion of Asif Ali, Khushdil Shah, and Azam Khan did not make sense to me. The exclusion of Fakhar Zaman disappointed me. Even the sacking of Sharjeel Khan and Haider Ali could be argued.

And why does Haris Rauf keep getting selected?

Here is Pakistan's 15-man squad: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Sohaib Maqsood, Mohammad Hafeez, Asif Ali, Khushdil Shah, Azam Khan, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Wasim Jr., Haris Rauf, Mohammad Nawaz

The more I look at it, the more it makes sense to me, barring a few selections.

Pakistan's opening combination of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan in T20Is has done wonders for the team. In setting up totals and in chasing them down, including a recent record partnership and run chase, the two have been brilliant.

Babar and Rizwan are not only the best opening combination in Pakistan, but in the world. Their partnership is not only the best among all opening partnerships, but it is the best partnership in the world for any wicket in T20Is over the past two years!

The inclusion of both Fakhar and Sharjeel in recent T20I squads only caused confusion in my opinion. Both are openers and do not really fit any where else in the batting order. Whoever made the call, made the right call, and made the captain's and management's life easier. 

Barring Babar, Rizwan, and Hafeez, no other batsman was an automatic selection. 

Neither the ones selected, nor the ones dropped, made any case for themselves over the past two years.

Among all batsmen that have played T20Is for Pakistan in the past two years, all have similar mediocre records. 

Fakhar, Haider, Khushdil, Iftikhar, Maqsood, Sharjeel - none of them did any wonders to be selected. One can pick any three out of these and with Pakistan requiring middle / late order batsmen rather than openers, it probably made sense to pick Khushdil and Maqsood over the rest.

What doesn't make sense though is the inclusion of Asif Ali and exclusion of Shoaib Malik. For the latter, it seems that the selectors believe his time is up.  

I really do not understand why Asif keeps getting selected after failing over and over again at the international level.

Sure the PSL counts for something, but international performance should definitely be given more weight than PSL performance.

As for a reserve wicket keeper - Azam or Sarfraz - it really is a toss up. Go for the future, I guess; but is Azam Khan really the future?

All said and done, I feel that a batting order that reads Babar, Rizwan, Maqsood, Hafeez, Khushdil, Asif looks really strong on paper. 

I would have definitely liked Shoaib Malik in place of Asif (actually even a rabbit is better than Asif), but all one can do now is hope that Asif replicates his PSL form in international cricket.

Pakistan has gone for 3 spinners in Shadab, Imad, and Nawaz. All three are decent batsmen as well, giving Pakistan's lower order a good aggressive look.

However, the exclusion of Usman Qadir has raised some eyebrows, given that he has been Pakistan's best spinner in the past two years; that too by some distance.

Qadir's numbers are not easy to ignore. But I also understand that Shadab, when 100% and in full flow, is irreplaceable and playing two leg spinners is not really ideal. 

I'm sure it was a difficult decision to choose between the two, but there is no reason why both of them could not be in the squad. Qadir should have been in there in place of Nawaz in my opinion, as Imad is a sure starter.

We all love to hate Haris Rauf, but the fact is that he has been Pakistan's best bowler in T20Is for the past two years.

There is no difference in Rauf's and Shaheen's economy rate. And Wahab's is worse. Plus Rauf has a better average than both of them.

Not only has he been the best pacer for Pakistan in T20Is, he has also been the best pacer in the world in T20Is during this period.

Then why do we hate Haris Rauf? Maybe it is because of his ODI performance, which is quite poor. 

I think he deserves to play T20Is. He takes wickets and his economy rate is no different from some of the best pacers in the game.

So overall the squad is not all that bad.

The only change I would make is replacing Asif Ali with Shoaib Malik. However if the management believe his time is up, then replace Asif with Fakhar or Haider Ali. Either will be more effective.

Usman Qadir is a good to have, but if Shadab can regain his form then he will be just as potent as Qadir; not to mention the impact Shadab can make with the bat and in the field.

Pakistan plays 7 T20Is in the lead up to the WT20; 5 against New Zealand and 2 against England. That should give this squad enough time together in middle and should prepare them well for the big tournament.

Pakistan's win over New Zealand in Birmingham was set up by Mohammad Aamir and finished by Babar Azam. Pakistan's premier fast bowler and Pakistan's best batsman rising to the occasion when needed the most - What better way could there be to lift an entire nation than this!

Birmingham was absolutely electric!

Twenty five thousand Pakistanis at the ground made it feel like we all were in Pakistan itself. A sea of green, thousands of flags, and Dil Dil Pakistan echoing around Edgbaston turned Birmingham into Lahore for the day.

It all started with Aamir's first ball of the match. Chants of "Aamir Aamir Aamir" as he ran up to bowl made magic happen as Aamir broke through the defenses of Martin Guptill, shattered his stumps, and set up the entire day for Pakistani fans.

The euphoria that resulted from this did not die down for even a second for the next 8 hours!

Even though New Zealand fought back from 80 odd for 5, the final target was not a daunting one and we expected Pakistan to chase it down.

But as Pakistan fans, we all know better. Pakistan and chasing don't seem to go together.

Babar Azam and Haris Sohail, however, made sure that these ghosts of past chases stayed away from Birmingham.

Pakistan's victory was a shut up message to a number of Pakistan critics.

Critics who did not believe that Pakistan could chase.

Critics who did not believe that Pakistan could compete against the bigger teams.

Critics who laughed every time a reference to 1992 was made.

Critics who mocked the believers of Pakistan cricket miracles after the losses to Australia and India.

Critics who harshly criticize Babar Azam for not finishing games.

I say harsh because Babar is merely 68 ODI innings old. How can one expect someone with that little experience to be a world beater? How can one expect someone who has not even played 100 ODIs to be a Kohli or a Joe Root?

Babar is immensely talented no doubt. He is the best batsman in Pakistan currently, and the best batsman to come out of Pakistan since Inzamam, Yousuf, and Younis.

However, expectations of him need to be real and not unfair as they have been.

The Kohlis, Roots, Smiths, and Williamsons of the world did not become who they are after 60 odd ODIs. Babar's international career is only 3-4 years old and no batsman ever became a great inside their first 3-4 years.

Look at how the rest of the current 'greats' and past 'modern greats' fared in their first 68 ODI innings.


Barring Hashim Amla, Babar is well ahead of the rest of the pack after 68 ODI innings. In terms of runs, in terms of average, in terms of strike rate, and in terms of ODI centuries.

Give him time, and he will convert more 50s into 100s and win more matches for Pakistan. He has got a long road ahead of him and a lot of time too.

In Birmingham, Babar brought up his 10th ODI century and it was definitely his best ODI century till date. He walked in to bat in the 4th over and stayed there till the last. He dominated the bowling and he finished the game off for Pakistan.

Under pressure, chasing a target, Babar showed the world his best.

It was a treat to watch this knock from the stands.

Babar's celebration when he got to the hundred showed what it meant to him. And the crowd's reaction showed what it meant to them.



The Birmingham experience was one of the best in ground experiences I have had watching cricket. It was by far the best Pakistani crowd I have ever seen. It was better than Lord's, better than Old Trafford, better than Sharjah and Dubai, better than Gaddafi Stadium.

The atmosphere was just awesome.

Surely Pakistan dominating the game made it all the more exciting for Pakistan fans, but I could feel the belief and excitement among everyone on the train from London and on the walk to Edgbaston from the Birmingham train station.

It was a magnificent day out and I was totally blown away by Babar Azam and the Birmingham crowd!

For the Pakistan fans and the cricketing world in general, Babar Azam has been an enigma.

Till recently he was even criticized for not being "test material".

For some, rightly so, considering he had played 16 tests, batted in 31 innings, and had not scored a century. To top it off, his test average was below 30.

At the same time, he was totally rocking white ball cricket as the only batsman in the world with a 50+ average in both ODIs and T20Is.

In a career that is 3 years old, Babar started his 17th test having smashed 8 ODI centuries, 9 ODI fifties, 8 T20I fifties, and 8 Test fifties.

Despite a 99 in the series against Australia and an unbeaten 90 in New Zealand, Babar was criticized heavily for not converting starts in tests and for not being a test batsman.

It all changed during his 32nd test inning.

As Pakistan added to New Zealand's agony in the field over two days during the second test, Babar was instrumental in taking Pakistan past 400 as he knocked his first test ton.

Babar's unbeaten 127 was a coming of age innings.

He finally crossed the barrier of the nervous nineties and he finally showed the world that he can bat in whites too.

No doubt that he has been extremely prolific in limited overs cricket and has not been able to extend that form to test cricket, but at least now he has brought up the coveted first test century.

From hereon, there should be no looking back for Babar Azam, who is Pakistan's first true all format batsman since the days of Inzamam Ul Haq.

Even though Babar had not scored a test ton, I feel the criticism he received was a bit unfair.

If one is to look at his test scores before the 100, then this season against Australia and New Zealand, he had scores of 4, 28*, 0, 99, 62, 13. Not mind blowing but also not worthy of criticism.

Even prior to that he scored 68 against England in Pakistan's victory at Lord's an innings that was cut short due to injury. He really looked like scoring a century during that innings.

What is even more interesting is that for all batsmen that have batted in at least 10 test innings in 2018, Babar Azam has the best average!

Even better than Virat Kohli's!


Look at the batsmen he is performing better than - ABD, Root - both modern legends of the game.

Now that Babar has reached his first test ton, I don't think he will ever look back. The runs will flow from his bat in tests and there is no doubt in my mind that he will become one of the best, if not the best, batsman to ever play for Pakistan.

It was a record breaking spectacle at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore with two of Pakistan's best ODI batsmen at the forefront of this epic chase.

Imam played his part; the finishers had to play theirs. In the history of ODI cricket, have you ever seen an opener be there at the end in a chase of 350? Maybe you can count 2 instances out of a 1,000+ ODIs.

Imam, and Pakistan's captain Babar Azam, scripted Pakistan's win last night. These two are once in a generation type players and Pakistan needs to cherish them.

I just fail to understand how anyone can discount their match winning abilities.

Babar Azam has the highest batting average in ODIs among all batsmen in ODI wins. His average is a clear 13 runs per innings ahead of Virat Kohli's.

Imam is 6th on this list with a phenomenal average of 69.47.

Babar and Imam have contributed to wins with 11 and 6 centuries respectively; and 8 and 7 fifties respectively.

They are two of the biggest ODI match winners produced by Pakistan!

Both Babar and Imam are among the few batsmen in ODIs that average above 50 in the format. There are only 11 such batsmen, and these two Pakistanis are among this elite list.

Babar has the 4th highest average and Imam has the 7th highest average in the history of ODI cricket.

Babar is at another level altogether.

He is undoubtedly the best to ever play for Pakistan. Arguably the best ever in the world too. Among the current lot for sure; among all time players, we shall find out. He has a long way to go.

With his 15th ODI century yesterday, he got to the landmark faster than any other batsman in the world. And he reached 4,000 ODI runs faster than all other batsmen, barring Hashim Amla.

With 15 ODI centuries he now has the second most ODI centuries for Pakistan; level with Mohammad Yousuf and only behind Saeed Anwar. And he has not even played a 100 ODIs yet!

Look at that strike rate. Quite an eye opener who feel he plays too selfishly and slowly.

Imam Ul Haq is in the list too, just one behind his legendary uncle who is to blame for the unfair label given to him by critics.

Out of Babar's 15 ODI centuries, 11 have resulted in wins, placing him third on the list of Pakistani batsmen with most centuries in ODI wins.

Guess who else makes this list. Yep, Imam Ul Haq!

Selfish players?

Yesterday was Babar's only 11th ODI as captain of Pakistan, and he notched up a 4th ODI hundred as captain, which is the most by a Pakistan ODI captain ever.

Considering that this 27 year old is just in the initial part of his career. He has a long long way to go, and I am sure he will be breaking and creating a number of batting records as he goes along.

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Babar and Imam are Pakistan's most consistent performers in ODIs. They have been for the past 5 years, which is why it shocks me no end that they keep receiving criticism from fans.

Failures of Pakistan's middle and lower orders have resulted in many a defeat for Pakistan in ODIs; yet the ones to cop the blame are the top three, who more often than not play their part perfectly.

Babar and Imam will continue to achieve new heights, and I am pretty sure their detractors will continue to find new ways to criticize them.

I really hope these critics can stay quiet now, especially after last night's victory, but I have my doubts.