Abdul Razzaq: “How can you be [the] number 1 ranked batter if you can’t even hit a straight 6”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razzaq said he is bamboozled by how Babar Azam can be considered the number one batsman if he “can’t even hit a straight 6.”
Azam is considered to be Pakistan’s go-to batsman in all three formats as he has consistently scored runs over the past few years.
However, Razzaq wants the 29-year-old to start scoring quicker and unleashing a wider range of attacking shots in order to dominate in any type of situation the men in green may find themselves in.
“How can you be [the] number 1 ranked batter if you can’t even hit a straight 6,” he was quoted as saying by respected journalist Saj Sadiq on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Azam stepped down as captain after the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup, where he scored 320 runs in nine matches, which included four fifties, at an average of 40.
Pakistan kicked off their campaign with back-to-back wins over the Netherlands and Sri Lanka before stumbling against India, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa.
Even though they fought back to take down Bangladesh and New Zealand, they were unable to progress to the semi-finals.
To add insult to injury, the men in green lost their last group stage match against England by 93 runs.
Azam will now feature in Pakistan’s three-match Test series against Australia, which will start on December 14 in Perth.
Pakistan Squad for Australia Test Series: Shan Masood (captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi