Iftikhar Ahmed: “Babar Azam is a great player and equally a fantastic captain”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Iftikhar Ahmed, the big-hitting batsman, has heaped praise on former Pakistan captain Babar Azam, calling him a “great player.”
Iftikhar also lauded the 29-year-old for his captaincy skills, even though he stepped down from the leadership role after the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.
Azam scored 320 runs in nine matches during the tournament, which included four fifties, at an average of 40.
“Babar Azam is a great player and equally a fantastic captain,” Iftikhar told Cricwick.
Pakistan won their first two matches against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka before succumbing to defeats at the hands of India, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa.
Even though they fought back to beat Bangladesh and New Zealand, they were unable to progress to the semi-finals.
The men in green ended their campaign on a low as England crushed them by 93 runs.
Azam will now represent Pakistan in their three-match Test series against Australia, which gets underway on December 14 in Perth.
Pakistan Squad for Australia Test Series:Â 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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