Waqar Younis: “He’s an asset of Pakistan cricket”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Legendary fast bowler Waqar Younis insisted that former captain Babar Azam is still a major asset for Pakistan.
Azam was not in the best of form in the lead-up to the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup, but found some consistency during the tournament as he amassed 320 runs in nine matches, which included four half-centuries, at an average of 40.
While he stepped down as captain once Pakistan were eliminated, Waqar still thinks the 29-year-old is a phenomenal batsman who can win games for the men in green.
“He’s an asset of Pakistan cricket,” the 52-year-old said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Pakistan won their first two World Cup games against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka before succumbing to defeats at the hands of India, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa.
Even though they bounced back to beat Bangladesh and New Zealand, they failed to make it to the semi-finals.
The men in green concluded their campaign on a sour note as England battered them by 93 runs.
Azam’s next assignment will be Pakistan’s three-match Test series against Australia, which will get underway 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
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