Nasser Hussain: “I think it is a massive year for him (Babar) and Pakistan. He has given up captaincy, that may be the weight off his shoulders”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former England captain Nasser Hussain believes 2024 will be a “massive year” for Pakistan batsman Babar Azam.
Hussain hopes to see the 29-year-old score plenty of runs, especially now that he is no longer captain.
Azam stepped down from the leadership role in all three formats following Pakistan’s disappointing performance in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.
“I think it is a massive year for him (Babar) and Pakistan. He has given up captaincy, that may be the weight off his shoulders,” Hussain said in a video released by the International Cricket Council (ICC) as quoted by Cricket Pakistan.
Azam was recently in action for Pakistan in their three-match Test series against Australia and scored 126 runs at an average of 21.
He then amassed 213 runs, which included three fifties, at an average of 42.60 and a strike-rate of 142 in Pakistan’s five-match T20I series against New Zealand.
It should be noted that Pakistan were whitewashed 3-0 by Australia and lost 4-1 to New Zealand.
Azam’s next assignment will be the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he will captain the Peshawar Zalmi.
PSL 9 will take place from February 17 to March 18 in four cities – Lahore, Multan, Karachi and Rawalpindi.
Peshawar Zalmi Squad for PSL 9: Babar Azam (captain), Rovman Powell, Saim Ayub, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Mohammad Haris, Aamer Jamal, Khurram Shahzad, Haseebullah Khan, Asif Ali, Naveen-ul-Haq, Umair Afridi, Dan Mousley, Mohammad Zeeshan, Lungi Ngidi, Mehran Mumtaz, Noor Ahmad, Salman Irshad, Arif Yaqoob
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