Babar Azam: “I kept doing that – block two balls and drive the third one. He was like, ‘Get me a new ball, I will show him’. Immediately, Mudassar bhai told me, ‘get out of the nets or he will kill you’. He took me out of the nets”

Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

Pakistan limited overs captain Babar Azam recalled how he faced and angered legendary fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar in the nets.

Azam was part of the Under-15 team and kept driving Akhtar despite being told not to.

In the end, former cricketer Mudassar Nazar told Azam to “get out of the nets or he will kill you”.

“I remember, there was a camp for the emerging players or Pakistan A. That time, they would even call some of us from the Under-15 team to practice with them. Mudassar Nazar, who was there, would call us to bat first. We were asked to bat first so that the bowlers could warm up and understand their paces,” Azam told Cricbuzz as quoted by Cricket Pakistan.

“Shoaib Akhtar would come there at times, towards the end of the camp to bowl for a bit. One day, he asked for a batsman to bowl at and Mudassar bhai asked him to take me along with him. So I got ready and was quite excited. Shoaib told me, ‘Kid, I will pitch the ball full, just block it, don’t drive’. I said okay. I blocked the first two balls but drove the third one.

“I kept doing that – block two balls and drive the third one. He was like, ‘Get me a new ball, I will show him’. Immediately, Mudassar bhai told me, ‘get out of the nets or he will kill you’. He took me out of the nets.

“However, whenever he would come to the nets thereafter, he would ask me to come and face him. He would bowl full but once, by mistake, he bowled a bouncer and luckily the ball went over my head.”

ALSO CHECK OUT: Babar Azam violates coronavirus rules

[interaction id=”5dc6e7fe84c507bcfc1855f9″]