Salman Butt: “The top-class players, (Joe) Root, Kohli, Babar (Azam), (Kane) Williamson need to stay in form as they are the [role] models. The aspiring cricketers look up to them”
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Former Pakistan batsman Salman Butt said captain Babar Azam is one of the world’s “top-class players”.
In the first Test against Sri Lanka, Azam showed his quality once again as he made scores of 119 and 55 to lead his side to a four-wicket win.
In addition to the 27-year-old, Salman also included England’s Joe Root, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson and India batsman Virat Kohli in the list of elite batsmen who have become role models for aspiring cricketers all over the globe.
“The top-class players, (Joe) Root, Kohli, Babar (Azam), (Kane) Williamson need to stay in form as they are the [role] models. The aspiring cricketers look up to them,” he said on his YouTube channel as quoted by Cricwick.
Azam made 16 and 81 in the second Test, but it wasn’t enough to stop Pakistan from losing the match by 246 runs.
The men in green will now take on the Netherlands in Rotterdam, with the three-match ODI series starting on August 16 and concluding on August 21.
They will then travel to the UAE to compete in the Asia Cup, which will run from August 27 to September 11.
Pakistan squad for Netherlands ODIs:Â Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, Zahid Mehmood
Pakistan squad for Asia Cup:Â Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Qadir