Josh Hazlewood: “I think in One Day cricket, in particular, any width is just put away with authority, so it’s a real strength”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Josh Hazlewood, the Australia seamer, has admitted that it is not advisable to give Pakistan captain Babar Azam any width as he puts it “away with authority.”
He noted that this is a “real strength” the 29-year-old has, which is just one among many he possesses.
Azam has been Pakistan’s most consistent run-scorer in all three formats over the last few years, which has given rise to his status as one of the top batsmen in the world.
“I think in One Day cricket, in particular, any width is just put away with authority, so it’s a real strength,” Hazlewood said in a Fox Cricket YouTube video where the Australian team picked their current ODI World XI.
Azam, who hails from Lahore, recently scored 76 runs in Pakistan’s two-Test series against Sri Lanka at an average of 25.33.
He then featured in the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan and amassed 113 runs, which included two half-centuries, at an average of 37.66.
His latest assignment saw him captain Pakistan in the Asia Cup, where he made 207 runs in five matches, which included a top score of 151, at an average of 51.75.
Azam is now leading the men in green in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup and has made scores of 5, 10 and 50 in the first three games against the Netherlands, Sri Lanka and India respectively.
Having beaten the Netherlands and Sri Lanka before losing their most recent match to India, Pakistan will be looking to get back to winning ways when they take on Australia on October 20 in Bengaluru.
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