Josh Hazlewood: “If you miss, he hurts you and sort of tries to put that pressure back on you as a bowler”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Australia seamer Josh Hazlewood conceded Pakistan batsman Babar Azam will hurt bowlers if they fail to hit the right line and length when bowling to him.
Azam has been Pakistan’s most consistent run-scorer in all three formats for a long time and Hazlewood has seen what the 29-year-old can do firsthand.
The Australian speedster added that what makes Azam even more dangerous is the fact that he tries to put the pressure back on the bowlers, which he then takes advantage of.
“If you miss, he hurts you and sort of tries to put that pressure back on you as a bowler,” he said in a video posted by Cricket Australia on Instagram as quoted by NDTV.
Azam was recently involved in Pakistan’s Test series against Australia, which they lost 3-0, and made 126 runs in three Tests at an average of 21.
With the Australia tour over, Azam will now represent Pakistan in their five-match T20I series against New Zealand, which begins on January 12 in Auckland.
Pakistan Squad for New Zealand T20I Series: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Aamer Jamal, Abbas Afridi, Azam Khan (wicketkeeper), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan (wicketkeeper), Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Usama Mir and Zaman Khan