Harsha Bhogle: “When there was a dip in Kohli’s form, Babar was on the up. This year (2023), Babar averages around 22-23 but that doesn’t mean he is a bad player”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Respected cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle believes it is wrong for people to think Pakistan batsman Babar Azam is a “bad player” just because he had a subpar year in 2023.
Azam failed to impress in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup and had an equally quiet campaign in the three-match Test series against Australia, amassing 126 runs at an average of 21.
Even though the 29-year-old could not deliver at key times during the year, Bhogle pointed out that he has been a shining star for Pakistan on many other occasions.
“When there was a dip in Kohli’s form, Babar was on the up. This year (2023), Babar averages around 22-23 but that doesn’t mean he is a bad player,” he told Cricwick.
Azam looked a lot better in the recent five-match T20I series against New Zealand as he accumulated 213 runs, which included three fifties, at an average of 42.60 and a strike-rate of 142.
Next up for him 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 (partially available), Arshad Iqbal, Haseebullah, Gus Atkinson (partially available), Asif Ali, Naveen-ul-Haq (reserved), Salman Irshad, Arif Yaqoob, Umair Afridi, Dan Mousley, Mohammad Zeeshan, Waqar Salamkheil, Mehran Mumtaz, Luke Wood, Sufyan Muqeem, Shamar Joseph
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