Shahid Afridi: “I thought Babar Azam would survive in Tests and ODIs but not in T20Is. This was my opinion”
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Iconic Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has revealed that Babar Azam has proved him wrong as he initially thought the limited overs captain wouldn’t do well in T20 Internationals.
However, in the 38 T20 Internationals he has played, Azam has scored 1,471 runs, which includes 13 half-centuries, at an average of 50.72 and a strike-rate of 128.13.
Afridi noted that Azam’s success is all down to hard work and lauded the 25-year-old for developing himself into one of the best batsmen in the game right now.
“I thought Babar Azam would survive in Tests and ODIs but not in T20Is. This was my opinion,” Afridi said during an interview with Zainab Abbas as quoted by Cricket Pakistan. “But the way that guy has polished and groomed himself. The shots he plays. It depends on the goals you set yourself. It is always hard work.
“I can’t just keep thinking that I want to be like AB de Villiers or Virat Kohli. If you don’t work hard enough it can never be possible. In order to achieve any goal you always have to work hard.”
Azam’s next assignment will be the tour of England, where he is expected a play a vital role with the bat in the three-Test series that begins on August 5 at Old Trafford in Manchester.
He will then captain Pakistan in the three-match T20 series that follows, which will get underway on August 28.
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