Ian Bishop: “I am actually surprised that he hadn’t taken to Test cricket and the numbers a lot earlier”
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Renowned commentator Ian Bishop said he was surprised Pakistan captain Babar Azam didn’t shine in Test cricket a lot earlier.
Azam has always been a star performer in limited overs cricket, but it took him some time to get going properly in the longest format.
However, over the last couple of years, he has really started to hit his stride in Tests and has been boosting his batting average at a rapid rate.
In Pakistan’s last Test assignment, which was a two-match series against Sri Lanka, he scored 271 runs, which included a century and two fifties, at an average of 67.75.
“I am actually surprised that he hadn’t taken to Test cricket and the numbers a lot earlier,” Bishop told Cricwick.
Azam is now captaining Pakistan in their three-match ODI series against the Netherlands, where he has amassed 131 runs in two matches, which includes two fifties, at an average of 65.50.
Following this series, the men in green will feature in the Asia Cup, which will be played in the UAE 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