Ahmed Shehzad: “It’s true what they say about form. It’s temporary. But true class, the kind we expect from Babar Azam is not just permanent, it’s once-in-a-generation”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Ahmed Shehzad, the Pakistan top order batsman, said captain Babar Azam is a “once-in-a-generation” player with “true class.”
Azam has cemented his reputation as one of the elite batsmen in the world as he scores runs in all three formats of the game.
On top of that, the men in green regularly rely on the 28-year-old to rescue them from precarious positions.
“It’s true what they say about form. It’s temporary. But true class, the kind we expect from Babar Azam is not just permanent, it’s once-in-a-generation,” Shehzad said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Azam has been in solid form with the bat as of late as he amassed 76 runs in two Test matches against Sri Lanka at an average of 25.33.
He then proceeded to score 113 runs in three ODIs against Afghanistan, which included two fifties, at an average of 37.66.
His latest assignment was leading Pakistan in the Asia Cup, where he finished with 207 runs in five matches, which included a top score of 151, at an average of 51.75.
Pakistan started the tournament in dominant fashion as they annihilated Nepal by 238 runs before sharing one point apiece with India as their match was abandoned due to rain.
Having made it through to the Super Four stage, the men in green continued rolling as they brushed aside Bangladesh by seven wickets.
However, things fell apart from this point on as India crushed them by 228 runs.
Pakistan still had an opportunity to get into the Asia Cup final, but they couldn’t since they lost to Sri Lanka by two wickets via the Duckworth–Lewis–Stern method (DLS) method.
Pakistan Squad for 2023 Asia Cup: Babar Azam (capt), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Haris (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Shahnawaz Dahani, Zaman Khan.
Travelling reserve: Tayyab Tahir