AB de Villiers: “He’s hurt bowling attacks all around the world in all formats and [is] just a fantastic player”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
AB de Villiers, the legendary South Africa cricketer, has sounded the alarm about Pakistan captain Babar Azam, saying other teams have to be wary of him since he has the ability to “hurt bowling attacks.”
In addition to this, he noted that the 28-year-old is simply a “fantastic player” who can win games single-handedly.
Azam has developed a reputation as one of the most consistent run-scorers in all three formats of the game, which makes him even more lethal.
“He’s hurt bowling attacks all around the world in all formats and [is] just a fantastic player,” De Villiers said in a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Azam’s form has been a little turbulent over the past few months as he amassed 76 runs in two Tests against Sri Lanka at an average of 25.33.
He subsequently made 113 runs in three ODIs against Afghanistan, which included two fifties, at an average of 37.66.
Most recently, he was in action in the Asia Cup and finished with 207 runs in five matches, which included a top score of 151, at an average of 51.75.
Pakistan kicked off their campaign with a dominant 238-run win over Nepal before sharing one point apiece with India after their match was rained off.
Having booked their spot in the Super Fours, the men in green continued to impress as they took down Bangladesh by seven wickets.
However, this is where things fell apart as they lost to India by 228 runs.
Pakistan still had an opportunity to reach the Asia Cup final, but couldn’t do it as Sri Lanka beat them by two wickets via the Duckworth–Lewis–Stern method (DLS) method.
Azam is now leading the men in green in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup and made scores of 5 and 10 in the first two games against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka.
Having won both matches, Pakistan will have their sights set on another victory when they go up against India on October 14 in Ahmedabad.
Pakistan Squad for 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Usama Mir, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Hasan Ali