Is Babar Azam the most overrated batsman?

Several records and moments of individual brilliance gives Babar Azam a higher rating than many other batters, but is he overrated?

Babar Azam has been a target of critics due to his performances in recent seasons. The former white-ball skipper for Team Pakistan continues to receive several verbal attacks due to the team’s woes throughout his captaincy.

He stepped down from his role as Pakistan’s ODI and T20I captain in September 2024. However, some critics believe he is an overrated player.

Why Do Critics Say Babar Azam is an Overrated Batsman?

Failure to perform under pressure in big moments

Azam has not been the batter for big moments many fans thought he would be. He has been part of squads that crashed out of at least three major international tournaments within 12 months. Games against arch-rivals India continue to produce painful defeats, demoralizing many ardent Pakistan cricket fans. Many players get blamed for such poor outings, but Azam takes more flak than others.

Inability to produce consistent performances across formats

Babar’s Test career has been nothing short of a nightmare so far. The skilled batter has zero notable laurels in the format and doesn’t perform well overall in Test series.

He was a part of the team that fell to a seemingly-lowly Bangladesh on home soil. The painful loss meant Pakistan couldn’t extend their decade-long record against the visiting side.

Little contribution to the team’s overall success

Babar Azam continues to receive widespread criticism for his outings and their seeming insignificance to Pakistan senior cricket. The batter has been part of every squad that mattered in Pakistan cricket for some time now. However, the cricketer has had little to no impact on the team’s plight as their performances continue to spiral downwards.

Many critics target Azam’s sole desire to score runs over contributing to the team’s overall success. Some of these critics outline the batter’s approach as focused on personal achievements over turning in match-winning outings for Pakistan.   

Babar Azam’s Performance Across Formats

1. Babar Azam Records in Tests

Azam hasn’t had the best Test career since his first foray into the format. He currently stands in the 22nd position among cricketers with the most consecutive centuries in matches. The cricketer also stands 15th among Test batters with the most half-centuries (eight 50s) throughout his performances.  

2. ODI Records

Azam has been on fire in ODIs for some time and currently ranks high among batters in the format. He currently holds the fastest record to 5000 runs in ODIs (97 matches) and places second among quickest batters to hit 4000 runs in the same format (82 matches).

3. T20I Records

Azam has been on fire in T20Is throughout his appearances so far and has four high rankings among batters in the competition. He holds the record for most fifties (39), most fours (440), and most consecutive captain appearances (55 games). Azam also reached 2500 runs than any other T20I cricketer (in 62 games)

4. Combined Test, ODI, and T20I Records

Azam’s overall performance record has not been the best so far, with several subpar outings for the Men in Green. He currently has a better record in half-centuries across all formats combined (9 innings straight with at least 50 runs scored per game).

Azam also ranks 6th in the all-time combined rankings for consecutive games as team captain (91 matches). However, the cricketer has not been so great in scoring centuries, only managing three so far throughout all three major formats. He also ranks 10th for the most runs scored in one calendar year in all formats combined.