Babar Azam is one of the most affluent batters for Pakistan in the modern times. Azam made his Pakistan debut in 2015 in an ODI against Zimbabwe. Since then, Azam has led the Pakistan batting unit till date. Babar Azam's role as a batter has evolved with time, with him being the senior batsman in the team.
Babar Azam has scored over 13000 runs off his blade in international cricket. The 29-year-old has also lifted the Champions Trophy 2017 with Pakistan, when they beat arch-rivals India to claim the title.
However, there has been some criticism that have fallen Babar's way throughout his cricket career. Babar is said to be over-conservative. He has also been tagged as a 'home-bully' by fans and critics on social media.
In this article, The Sporting News digs deep over Babar Azam's record outside Pakistan. Is the claim of Babar being a home-bully any substantive?
What is Babar Azam's record in International Cricket?
Babar Azam has scored over 13000 runs in International cricket across all formats. The Pakistan batsman has scored 90 half-centuries and 31 hundreds in his career, and is widely regarded as one of Pakistan's best ever by fans on social media.
He averages over 48 in international cricket, and has a healthy strike-rate to show his exploits in international cricket. Having played over 300 innings in his career, Babar's stats are impressive for everyone to see.
| Matches | Innings | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | 50s | 100s | High Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 275 | 308 | 13235 | 48.65 | 80.93 | 96 | 31 | 196 |
What is Babar Azam's overall record outside Pakistan?
| Matches | Innings | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | 50s | 100s | High Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 206 | 231 | 9037 | 44.08 | 78.80 | 66 | 16 | 158 |
What is Babar Azam's record outside Pakistan?
| FORMAT | Matches | Innings | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | 50s / 100s | High Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests | 39 | 71 | 2407 | 37.60 | 51.93 | 19 / 3 | 127* |
| ODIs | 95 | 92 | 4258 | 52.56 | 86.61 | 24 / 12 | 158 |
| T20Is | 72 | 68 | 2372 | 39.53 | 123.73 | 23 / 1 | 122 |
Is Babar a home bully?
Runs scored:
| In Pakistan | Outside Pakistan | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs (Innings) | 4198 (77) | 9037 (231) |
Babar's total runs in Pakistan = 4198 runs in 77 innings
Babar's batting record outside Pakistan = 9037 in 231 innings
Batting Averages:
| In Pakistan | Outside Pakistan | |
|---|---|---|
| Batting Average | 62.65 | 44.08 |
Babar Azam's batting average in Pakistan: 62.65
Babar Azam's batting average outside Pakistan: 44.08
It is noteworthy that Babar's dominance in Pakistan pitches is much more than on alien soil. His average of 62 drops drastically to 44, when batting on pitches outside Pakistan. Average is an important metric to measure a batsman's dominance at a venue.
A difference of 18 runs is drastic, and it is safe to say that Babar is more comfortable batting in Pakistan than on foreign pitches.
Batting Strike Rate:
| In Pakistan | Outside Pakistan | |
|---|---|---|
| Batting Strike Rate | 85.95 | 78.80 |
It is evident that Babar plays a bit more cautiously when touring the world as compared to being in Pakistan. Babar's runs per hundred balls (Strike Rate) falls from nearly 86 when in Pakistan, to under 79 when batting on overseas pitches.
Half-centuries and Centuries:
| In Pakistan | Outside Pakistan | |
|---|---|---|
| 50s / 100s | 24 / 15 | 66 / 16 |
Babar Azam has scored 24 half-centuries and 15 centuries in Pakistan.
Babar's overseas record is 66 half-centuries, and 16 centuries.
Babar Azam has scored 39 50+ scores in 77 innings in Pakistan. He averages one 50+ score every two innings in Pakistan. (AVERAGE = 0.50)
His numbers are 76 50+ scores in 231 innings outside his home country. The number drops down to once every three innings when touring the world. (AVERAGE = 0.35)
All the stats and metrics reveal that Babar favours batting on Pakistan pitches over international grounds. However, the difference is not stark enough to be naming him a 'home bully'. Usually, all batsmen would have better numbers at home as they are thorough with the conditions of the pitches.
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