Babar Azam: King no more, stats tell the struggling tale

Babar Azam, once hailed as the "king" of cricket, made his debut in 2016, and from the very beginning, he impressed with his consistent run-scoring and multiple centuries. When he was given the captaincy in 2019, his performance seemed to accelerate further. However, many are now questioning whether his success was due to playing against lower-ranked teams.

Babar's most recent international century came against Nepal in 2023 in the ODI format, while his last Test century was in 2022 against New Zealand in Karachi. His last T20I century was in April 2023, again against New Zealand, though it should be noted that New Zealand did not field their main players in that series.

His Test average currently stands at 42.77, which doesn't align with the "king" status that he once held. He has scored just one Test century in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia) countries, which was against Australia in 2019.

Babar Azam’s performance in major ICC events has also been disappointing. In the 2024 World Cup, he scored just 122 runs at a strike rate of 101.66. His performance in the 2023 ODI World Cup was also underwhelming, with only 320 runs at an average of 40 on batting-friendly wickets.

His poor showings continued in the 2023 Asia Cup and the 2022 World Cup, where his numbers failed to make an impact. His standout performances came in the 2021 World Cup and the 2019 World Cup, but these were overshadowed by his underperformance in subsequent major events.

 

Babar Azam has now publicly asked people to stop calling him the "king," a title he once embraced in a post in 2021 with the hashtag #KINGBABAR.

Although many consider him a "Pakistani great," his statistics, especially in Tests, are far from matching the achievements of Pakistan' great players like Younis Khan. His poor performances in ICC events remain a significant concern for fans and critics alike.

Has Pakistan lost a rising star by overhyping Babar Azam as a "king" when he may not have been ready for such a title? The future will tell, but his recent performances have raised doubts about whether the early praise was justified.