Azhar Ali — the ordinary hero

Azhar is by far Paksitan's best Test batsman at the moment

KARACHI: Azhar Ali is dependable. That is both a gift and a curse.

Azhar Ali is unassuming. That is both a gift and a curse.

Azhar Ali is consistent. That is both a gift and a curse.

Azhar Ali is somehow still considered young. That is both a gift and a curse.

Everything he does, everything he will ever achieve on that cricket pitch, will come with a string attached. Every positive of his has a negative; every negative a positive.

He is 31, in two months he will be 32. He is still referred to as one for the future.

He is solid, but he is not Younus Khan solid.

He is inspirational but he is not Sarfraz Ahmed inspirational.

He is adaptable but he is not Asad Shafiq adaptable.

He might be long-lasting, but he is not Misbahul Haq long-lasting.

Instead he does what all those four do.

In the past three years, he has quietly become a colossus — a giant that has somehow gone under the radar. He is by far Pakistan’s best Test batsman right now. While other members of the hallowed Test line-up fell from grace, Azhar did not.

On stumps after day one, Misbah averages 33.93 in 2016, Younus averages 38.17, Shafiq 36.09 and Sarfraz 33.93. Azhar averages 56.04.

Compared to 2015, Misbah’s average has fallen by 13.45, Younus’ by 22.52, Shafiq’s by 17.03 and Sarfraz’s 20.62. Azhar’s is the only one that has remained the same.

He has now scored more than 1,000 runs this year already. Second on this list for Pakistan is Younus with 649.

There have been standout performances this year from others as well — Younus’ double century, Shafiq’s century and Sarfraz’s unbeaten 59 at the Gabba, Misbah’s ton at Lord’s — but Azhar has truly owned 2016 as far as Pakistan’s batting is concerned.

There was the century in Birmingham against England, then came the triple century against the West Indies, the 71 against Australia in the first Test and now this.

Sprinkled in between have been other impressive knocks as well. Often, the batting scorecard has read ‘Azhar Ali and 10 others’.

Recently, Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Shaharyar Khan quite unceremoniously said Azhar’s time as ODI captain is drawing to a close. For a while now, there has been a sword hanging over Azhar’s ODI career. Perhaps rightly so.

But the same characteristics that let him down in ODIs make him such a darned good Test player; the patience, the technique, the resilience, the determination.

Yet listen carefully and the voices of contempt over his ODI performances are much louder than the near silence surrounding his Test form.

Azhar may be unspectacular but boy is he consistent. Of players scoring 500 runs or more, he is the only player alongside Steven Smith to average more than 50 in all of the past three years. Not Virat Kohli, not Kane Williamson or Joe Root or Hashim Amla or AB de Villiers or Younus Khan. Azhar Ali. Yet speak his name alongside any of those and you will in all likelihood be laughed out of the room.

Azhar’s qualities mean he has few enemies, but they also mean he has even fewer lovers. He is liked by many, yet worshiped by none. Many admire him, yet few emulate him.

This is his gift. And this is his curse.