Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has made some interesting observations about the batting of Babar Azam, who is hailed as the ‘King of Pakistan cricket’. While doing so, Wasim, a legendary pacer himself who outdid many a great batter, drew parallels with two of the greatest batters ever, Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara.
Babar Azam went through a tough period of time last year where he failed to take Pakistan to the Asia Cup final and the World Cup 2023 semi-finals, consequently losing white-ball captaincy. He also stepped down as the Test skipper.
He’s rocked back to good form in T20 cricket in New Zealand, in the BPL, and now at home in the PSL through a spate of half-centuries and recently hit a fifty. Now, the Pakistan fans can feel that this is the resurrection period of Babar Azam the batsman, and he’s set on achieving greater things as he was expected to do so.
Babar Azam among the three best batters in the world right now: Wasim Akram
Wasim Akram hailed Babar Azam as a “very good” batter and among the three best in the world currently. However, he noted that Babar is not at the levels of Lara and Tendulkar, in terms of being really difficult to bowl against and having run-scoring shots even on good deliveries.
“Babar is a very good player. He is among the three best batters in the world right now and he plays proper cricketing shots. Had he been a pinch hitter, then the bowler would know that he has a chance to get him out,” Wasim Akram said on a talk show.
“But Babar…for players like Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar, it was difficult to bowl to them because they play good shots against good deliveries and hence gives you lesser opportunities to dismiss them. These are technically-good batters. But yes, bowl attacking lines in the first few overs just to check whether they are set on that particular track,” Akram concluded.
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