Babar Azam — Pakistan's modern-era run machine

Babar Azam is the most accomplished batter Pakistan has produced since Mohammad Yousuf. Across formats, across captains, across coaching staffs and PCB regimes, he has been the one constant the team builds around. Two years past his Pakistan captaincy he is still, by most metrics, the country’s best batter.

At a glance

Why he matters

The case for Babar at his peak is simple. He is the only batter since 2018 to average above 50 in Tests, above 55 in ODIs, and above 40 in T20Is at the same time. He has spent more weeks at number one in the ICC ODI rankings than any active batter in world cricket. His ODI hundred conversion rate (close to 35 per cent) is one of the highest in the format’s history.

The case against him is the standard against-elite-batter case. He is at his best on flat surfaces against bowlers who do not move the ball sharply off the seam. On a sporting pitch against a swinging new ball he is more fallible than the all-time greats. His T20 strike rate, for years, was thought to be a touch under what a top-five T20 batter should manage.

The honest answer is that he is, depending on which day you ask, one of the top three or top six batters in the world across formats. That is rare enough to make him indispensable to Pakistan even when his form dips for a series or two.

The captaincy era

Babar captained Pakistan in all three formats between 2020 and 2023. The high point was the ODI World Cup 2023 semi-final qualification despite a campaign that started terribly. The low point was the 2022 T20 World Cup final, where Pakistan fell short against England in a low-scoring chase that should have been winnable.

The captaincy debate around Babar has been one of Pakistani cricket’s most exhausting subplots. The defensible position was always that his record as a player justified the role even if his tactical sharpness was middling. The PCB’s eventual move to split the captaincy gave Babar back his role as the team’s senior batter without the weight of every selection call falling on him.

Recent form

Babar’s 2025 was a return to peak Test form. He averaged 58 across the South Africa and Bangladesh tours, including a 167 at Centurion that PCB rated as one of the best Test innings by a Pakistani batter against South Africa in their own country. His ODI form was steadier than spectacular. His T20I numbers continued to climb as he leaned harder into power-hitting in the middle overs.

The 2026 first half has been quieter. He scored runs in the PSL final against Hyderabad Kingsmen (67 not out off 41 in Peshawar’s chase), but his Test numbers in the West Indies series in March were below his usual standard.

What makes him different

Three things, in cricketing terms:

Cover drive. The orthodox front-foot cover drive against fast bowling is the most-praised shot in cricket. Babar’s is the version every coach uses in academies. He plays it under and against the line of the ball more consistently than any contemporary right-hander.

Wrists in the middle overs. Against spin between overs 7 and 15 of an ODI or T20I, Babar manipulates the field with wristy placement more than power. The result is the highest middle-overs average against spin of any active batter from a sub-continental nation.

The setup. He plays a longer initial movement before delivery than most modern top-order batters. The criticism (mostly from Indian and Australian commentators) was that this would expose him on bouncier pitches. The defence has been that the rhythm allows him to play late on slower surfaces where pace off the pitch is the bigger threat. Both sides are partly right.

What to watch

Babar’s role in the next ICC Champions Trophy cycle. PCB and team management have settled on him at number three in ODIs, with Saim Ayub and Fakhar Zaman to open. That puts him in for almost every chase between overs 5 and 25, the most valuable batting position in modern ODI cricket. If he averages 55+ across the Champions Trophy and the home ODI series before it, Pakistan are a real semi-final contender. If his form dips, the batting collapses without him.

In Test cricket, he is now firmly in the senior-statesman role. He won’t captain again. He may eventually retire from one format to extend his career in others. The smart bet for fans of Pakistan cricket: watch the next 12 to 18 months of Babar Tests carefully. They will be among the best of his career.

Source: Babar Azam – ESPNcricinfo

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