Bio

Fahad Babar has been the one player in recent times to challenge Steven Taylor's mantle as Team USA's premier batsman, mostly through a consistency of performance.

Since he first broke into the full U.S. lineup in 2014 he has not looked back, topping the teams run scoring charts for the USA in his first two ICC events, and being named as the MVP of the 2015 ICC Americas Division One championship in Indianapolis.

The diminutive Babar is busy at the crease, runs hard between the wickets and is particularly strong off the back foot against the quicks. He is an athletic mover in the field, most notably in the outfield where he gets to the ball quickly with an economy of movement.

7

Playing Number

Team Role

Opening Batsman

Hometown

Gurnee, Illinois

Nickname

Baba, Fabio

Country of Birth

Pakistan

Career Highlights

MVP of ICC WCL Americas Region Division 1 T20 in 2015

Favorite Cricketer

Brendan McCullum

"I'm a hard worker, and I believe in consistency of performance"

Bio Continued...

I first saw Fahad Babar bat live at a private T20 tournament in Houston in April of 2014. It was one of the better tournaments I have attended in this country, the standard of play being very competitive.

A number of past and current Pakistan and West Indies players were in attendance and many of the current U.S. and Canadian squads. Babar had recently made his debut for the U.S. side after somewhat of a selection kerfuffle. Originally named in the squad for the World T20 Qualifiers in UAE, but then mysteriously replaced days later, he did eventually travel with the team as a replacement for the injured Steve Massiah. He played just two matches during what was a disappointing tournament for the USA, scoring 10 and 17 against Hong Kong and UAE respectively. What I saw at the tournament in Houston however, made me think this kid had something special.

Someone who knew that Babar was special long before I did was his good friend and mentor, Mir Ali. It would be remiss of me not to mention him before going any further, as he is central to the Fahad Babar story. And now back to Houston…

What initially struck me was Babar’s busyness at the crease. He looked to try and rotate the strike and ran hard between the wickets, something that isn’t traditionally a trait of U.S. batsmen. But what really caught my eye was his battle with ex West Indies fast bowler Adam Sandford. Sandford was bowling quick and was repeatedly bowling short to the diminutive Babar. But Babar bode his time, ducking and weaving to great effect, backing his ability to score runs when the right delivery presented itself. It was a captivating battle within a battle one that Sandford eventually won, but not before Babar showed that he was a player mature beyond his years.

It was his ability to compete against big name players such as Sandford at various private tournaments around the country that Babar feels first brought him to the attention of the national selectors, and gave him the self-belief that he could compete on the international stage. It would not be long before he would prove that assertion to be correct.

The next assignment for the U.S. team was the 2014 ICC World Cricket League Division 3 in Malaysia. Babar appeared to be in the squad to ride the pine as a reserve batsman, however injuries to key members of the squad meant he was suddenly thrust into the openers role. He acquitted himself so well that he topped the run scoring charts for the U.S. in that tournament, effectively confirming his spot in the side for USA’s next campaign. He repaid the faith of the selectors by not only top scoring in the ICC Americas Division 1 in Indianapolis, but by also winning man of the tournament.

He has now cemented his role as Steven Taylor’s opening partner and is under no illusion as to what his role in the side is. He simply looks to bat as long as possible, run hard between the wickets and look to give as much strike to his partners as possible. “If Steven clicks, it’s game over for the opposition” he says, when speaking about his opening partner and team captain. “I’m a hard worker, and I believe in consistency of performance”. He has developed into the perfect foil for Taylor and the other more explosive players in the US team.