Shadab Khan: “If he plays a cover drive, he’s in”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan spinner Shadab Khan said good luck to opposition bowlers if captain Babar Azam nails a cover drive as it means he has got his eye in.
Azam has proven time and time again that he is extremely tough to stop when he is firing on all cylinders and middling every shot he hits.
“If he plays a cover drive, he’s in,” Shadab, 24, told Sky Sports as quoted by Cricwick.
In the recent series against New Zealand, Azam started off by scoring 226 runs in the two-Test series, which included a magnificent knock of 161, at an average of 56.50.
The 28-year-old then proceeded to amass 149 runs in three ODIs, which included two fifties, at an average of 49.66.
However, with the Test series ending as a 0-0 draw and Pakistan losing the ODI series 2-1, Azam is in danger of losing the captaincy in one or more formats.
Shan Masood’s name has come up as a potential successor, but nothing has been made official by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
In the meantime, Azam will captain the Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), while Shadab will lead Islamabad United.
PSL 8 is set to be held from February 13 to March 19, with the matches expected to be played in Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Rawalpindi and Quetta.