Saud Shakeel: “If you see he is the top batsman in the world right now”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Saud Shakeel, the middle order batsman, has thrown his support behind Pakistan captain Babar Azam, insisting that he is still the “top batsman in the world right now.”
Azam is currently in the midst of a small rough patch as he hasn’t been at his best in Pakistan’s last few assignments despite having a couple of encouraging knocks.
The 29-year-old is known for his consistency, which is why many people are concerned about his disappointing run of form as of late.
However, Shakeel is confident the Lahore-born batsman will start scoring big runs in no time at all.
“If you see he is the top batsman in the world right now,” he told Cricwick.
Azam recently scored 76 runs in Pakistan’s two-Test series against Sri Lanka at an average of 25.33.
He subsequently amassed 113 runs in three ODIs against Afghanistan, which included two fifties, at an average of 37.66.
Most recently, he was involved 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.
Right now, Azam is captaining his country in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup and has registered scores of 5, 10, 50 and 18 in Pakistan’s first four matches against the Netherlands, Sri Lanka, India and Australia respectively.
As for Shakeel, he has posted scores of 68, 31, 6 and 30.
After winning their first two games, Pakistan’s campaign has been on a downward spiral as they lost to India and Australia.
In need of a win, the men in green will back in action on October 23 when they face Afghanistan in Chennai.
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