Johan Botha: “He is a big player”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Karachi Kings head coach Johan Botha said Pakistan captain Babar Azam has established his reputation as a “big player” since he always rises to the occasion when his team needs him the most.
The 28-year-old is a well-known match-winner and has, on many occasions, carried the men in green across the finish line single-handedly.
He had been part of the Kings in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) before being traded prior to PSL 8 this year in return for Pakistan batsmen Haider Ali and Shoaib Malik.
In the tournament, he finished as the second-highest run-scorer with 522 runs in 11 matches, which included a century and five fifties, at an average of 52.20 and a strike-rate of 145.40.
“He is a big player,” Botha, a former South Africa all-rounder, told PCB Digital.
Azam recently led Pakistan in a five-match ODI series against New Zealand, which they won 4-1.
He was virtually unstoppable throughout the series as he amassed 276 runs, which included a hundred and two half-centuries, at an average of 55.20.