Ricky Ponting: “I think there’s some room for improvement, let’s hope we see it”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting hopes to see Pakistan captain Babar Azam keep making improvements to his batting so that he becomes an even greater cricketer.
Azam has been Pakistan’s most consistent run-scorer in all three formats over the last few years, which has elevated him into the elite class of players in the world.
Most recently, he led the Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he scored 522 runs in 11 matches, which included a hundred and five half-centuries, at an average of 52.20 and a strike-rate of 145.40.
Even though his form has been nothing short of brilliant, Ponting pointed out that the 28-year-old still needs to keep developing his game.
“I think there’s some room for improvement, let’s hope we see it,” the Australian batting icon 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.
He is set to return for the team’s white-ball series against New Zealand, which begins on April 14 and will consist of five T20Is and five ODIs.
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