Sarfraz Ahmed: “I dare say Babar is one of the best players of this generation. He is a class apart”

Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed believes that batsman Babar Azam “is one of the best players of this generation”.

Sarfraz’s comments come after Azam was named Man of the Match for his unbeaten knock of 101, which came off 127 balls and included 11 boundaries, against New Zealand on Wednesday.

Azam’s magnificent innings kept Pakistan’s hopes of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals alive and handed New Zealand their first loss in the tournament.

“I don’t remember seeing a better innings in [a] chase than the one Babar played against New Zealand,” Sarfraz wrote in his blog on the Pakistan Cricket Board’s website. “I dare say Babar is one of the best players of this generation. He is a class apart. He is technically very correct and it’s tough to get him out once he gets going.

“He looked in total command against a strong New Zealand bowling attack. One of the best things about Babar’s innings was how much he valued his wicket and hardly played a risky shot.”

Pakistan’s next World Cup match will be against Afghanistan at Headingley on Saturday.

If they beat Afghanistan, Pakistan will then have to take down Bangladesh at Lord’s on July 5 in order to have any chance of reaching the last four.

However, even if they defeat Afghanistan and Bangladesh, it might not be enough as they will have to rely on the results of other matches.

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