Joe Root: “The bowlers must play well to keep him quiet, and he is relatively younger than me”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
England batsman Joe Root said the bowling attack must be at their very best in order to keep Pakistan captain Babar Azam quiet with the bat.
His comments come after the 28-year-old punished England’s bowlers in the first Test in Rawalpindi.
Azam made a spectacular 136 in the first innings, which came off 168 balls and included 19 boundaries and a six.
Root noted that Azam’s ability to shine, even against a strong bowling line-up, is what makes him one of the top players in the world.
“The bowlers must play well to keep him quiet, and he is relatively younger than me,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Despite the Pakistan skipper’s strong performance with the bat, his side suffered a 74-run loss.
The second Test between Pakistan and England will get underway on Friday in Multan.
Pakistan’s Squad for England Test Series: Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Azhar Ali, Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Ali, Shan Masood, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Nawaz, Nauman Ali, Saud Shakeel, Zahid Mahmood, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed