Babar Azam: Pakistan’s favourite son

The coming decade will belong to Babar Azam. Is it a brave prophecy? Or a patriotic yearning of a cricket-mad Pakistani? Perhaps a bit of both. But isn’t it true that most prophecies, that don’t have the privilege of divine help, are the work of audacious minds. And isn’t it also true that madness brought about by patriotism frees one from all fears. So, dear readers, though foolishly brave as it may sound, our assertion is not without reason. Let us first present our case before you cast your doubt on our mental health.

Let us start by first making it clear that when we say that this is going to be the decade of Babar Azam, we are talking about Babar as a batter and not Babar the captain. As certain as we are of the former, we are a bit unsure of the latter. We sincerely hope that he proves us wrong on the second count. But for now we are willing to stick our neck out for Pakistan cricket’s favourite son.

Inzimam-ul-Haq, the best ever Pakistani batter of fast bowling, was more of a bludgeoner in the mould of Sir Vivian Richards who could pull and hook at will the most feared of fast bowlers over the boundary ropes. Who could forget Inzi pulling Glen McGrath for a six with the ball landing on the roof top of stands at Headingley, Leeds in the 1999 Cricket World Cup. He is right there among the best ever Pakistani Batters. Then there were the delectable ones like Zaheer Abbas, Muhammad Yousaf, Saeed Anwer and Saleem Malik who drove through covers with the artistry of a painter stroking across the canvas. These gentlemen were worth watching over and over again. But if a poll was to be taken as to who was the best ever Pakistani batter of all times, two names, Younis Khan and Javed Miandad would probably come on top. Though not among the most attractive of batters they were the doughtiest; both exhibited the traits of a street fighter. If ever there were two batters who would be known for their grit on the pitch and presence of mind they were Javed Miandad and Younis Khan. Their on-field heroics are far too many to narrate in a few sentences.

Finally comes a batter who has the hues of all the above mentioned greats. Like Inzi, fast bowlers do not ruffle him, like Zaheer he can drive through off side both of the front foot and the back foot, Like Saeed he can hit a bowler for a six over the fine leg with a flick of the wrists and like Javed and Younis he can be a wall on a turning wicket for over five gruelling sessions of test cricket. Babar Azam has perfected all these shades and come up with his own tinge.

Today he tops the ICC ratings of white ball cricket and is only a few centuries away to achieve that in red ball cricket. The captaincy in all forms of cricket, though open to debate, has only spurred his greed for runs. Captaincy is a burden that seems to have brought out his best in batting. Now he has the poise at the crease that is the hallmark of all great batters. Yes, he is selfish. Most great batters have been selfish run getters. In Babar’s case he knows that he just can’t leave it to other batters to finish the task. More often than not, Pakistani captains have seen their team tumble just before reaching the summit.

The recently concluded Australian tour of Pakistan has witnessed Babar’s coming of age. He has compiled 732 runs in 9 innings at an average of 91.5 across all formats. No mean feat. He has stuck it out in the blistering heat in Karachi to pull off the unlikeliest of draws in his monumental innings of 196 and taken the Aussie attack apart in Lahore to chase down a record 348 runs target. Already the world has started to take note of this quiet lad from Lahore. They know that a star, that took its time in making, is now shining brightly on the cricketing sky. They also fear that its glow is going to get stronger and stronger in the years to come.