Iftikhar Ahmed: “Babar is a world-class player”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Iftikhar Ahmed, the power-hitting middle order batsman, has described Pakistan captain Babar Azam as a “world-class player.”
Azam has been Pakistan’s most consistent player over the last few years, but is currently not at his best as his form has been slightly turbulent.
While he has posted a few big scores over the past couple of months, the 29-year-old has not been living up to what people expect of him.
Despite this, Iftikhar has jumped to his captain’s defence, insisting that the Lahore-born cricketer is still right up there with the best of the best.
“Babar is a world-class player,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Azam and Iftikhar are both featuring in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup right now, with the Pakistan skipper having made 282 runs in eight matches, which includes four fifties, at an average of 40.28.
Iftikhar, meanwhile, has scored 139 runs in eight games at an average of 27.80.
Pakistan began with back-to-back wins as they beat the Netherlands and Sri Lanka before their campaign nosedived as they lost to India, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa.
Having suffered four straight losses, Pakistan fought back to defeat Bangladesh and New Zealand, which kept them in the hunt for a spot in the semi-finals.
The men in green will now look to maintain their momentum in their match against England on November 11 in Kolkata.
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
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