Matthew Hayden on Babar Azam: “His ability to be able to consistently react to the ball is really second to none that I’ve seen”
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
Legendary Australia opening batsman Matthew Hayden said Pakistan captain Babar Azam’s “ability to be able to consistently react to the ball is really second to none that I’ve seen”.’
Hayden’s praise for Azam comes after he worked closely with the 27-year-old during his time as the national team’s batting consultant during the T20 World Cup.
Azam was in sensational form throughout the tournament as he broke the record for the most runs scored by a batsman in their maiden T20 World Cup appearance.
Azam amassed 303 runs in six games, which included four fifties, at an average of 60.60 and a strike-rate of 126.25.
“Just to give you an insight into that talent, his ability to be able to consistently react to the ball is really second to none that I’ve seen,” Hayden was quoted as saying by the Pakistan Cricket Board’s website.
Pakistan are currently touring Bangladesh and hold a 2-0 lead in the T20 series.
Azam scored 7 and 1 in the first two matches.
Pakistan will play one more T20 International on Monday before the two-Test series begins on November 26.
Pakistan’s Squad for Bangladesh T20 Series: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, Shoaib Malik, Usman Qadir
Pakistan squad for Bangladesh Test series: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Abdullah Shafique, Abid Ali, Azhar Ali, Bilal Asif, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Afridi, Zahid Mahmood
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