Ricky Ponting: “He’s been able to adapt to different conditions across the world – which is what separates the great players from the good players”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Australia batting legend Ricky Ponting said Pakistan captain Babar Azam went from good to great since he is able to adapt to different conditions all over the world and score runs consistently.
The 28-year-old has been in outstanding form over the last few months, during which Pakistan hosted England and New Zealand.
Azam amassed 348 runs in the three-Test series against England, which included a century and three fifties, at an average of 58.
He then struck 226 runs in two Tests against New Zealand, which included a top score of 161, at an average of 56.50.
As for the three-match ODI series that followed, he made 149 runs, which included two half-centuries, at an average of 49.66.
Most recently, Azam captained the Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and finished as the second-highest run-scorer in the competition.
He accumulated 522 runs in 11 matches, which included a hundred and five fifties, at an average of 52.20 and a strike-rate of 145.40.
“He’s been able to adapt to different conditions across the world – which is what separates the great players from the good players,” Ponting said while speaking on The ICC Review.
Azam was rested for Pakistan’s three-match T20I series against Afghanistan in Sharjah, which the men in green lost 2-1.
The team’s next assignment will be five T20Is and five ODIs against New Zealand on home soil, which will start on April 14.
Pakistan squad for T20I series against New Zealand: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Ihsanullah, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood and Zaman Khan
Pakistan squad for ODI series against New Zealand: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haris Sohail, Ihsanullah, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood and Usama Mir