Zaheer Abbas: “I expect him to be among the runs”

Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

Legendary Pakistan batsman Zaheer Abbas believes that Babar Azam and Wahab Riaz will excel in the national team’s World Cup clash against Sri Lanka on Friday.

Pakistan are coming into the game on a high as they beat England, who are considered one of the favourites to win the World Cup, by 14 runs in Nottingham on Monday

In that match, Azam scored a 66-ball 63, while Riaz took three wickets as he dismissed Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes.

“Babar Azam is by far the best batsman in the Pakistan line-up,” Abbas told The News International. “He is prolific and reliable. His strike rate is getting better. I expect him to be among the runs. In fact, he should be among the leading run-getters in this tournament. He [has a] sound technique and anticipates very quickly. That’s what makes him different from the other Pakistani batsmen.

“We all saw how Wahab’s performance graph dipped two years ago. He was excluded from Pakistan’s World Cup plans and rightly so. It seems that after getting snubbed, Wahab has really worked hard. He has a point to prove. Against England he was all fired up. I expect him to stay all pumped up in tomorrow’s game. He can be an important wicket-taker for us.”

[interaction id=”5c1d9088e5245c5b0b264d12″]