Shahid Afridi: “He is the backbone of Pakistan’s batting line-up”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Iconic Pakistan six-hitter Shahid Afridi has picked Babar Azam as the “backbone” of the national team’s batting line-up.
Azam has repeatedly led by example in all three formats and has won the men in green many matches over the years.
Even though his form has been highly turbulent over the last couple of months, Afridi still sees him as the star of the show when it comes to Pakistan’s batting.
“He is the backbone of Pakistan’s batting line-up,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Azam recently played in Pakistan’s three-match Test series against Australia and scored 126 runs at an average of 21.
He then featured in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand and accumulated 213 runs, which included three fifties, at an average of 42.60 and a strike-rate of 142.
The 29-year-old is now captaining the Peshawar Zalmi in the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL) and has made 219 runs in four matches, which includes two fifties, at an average of 54.75 and a strike-rate of 141.29.
Peshawar Zalmi Squad for PSL 9: Babar Azam (captain), Rovman Powell, Saim Ayub, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Asif Ali, Mohammad Haris, Aamer Jamal, Naveen-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Salman Irshad, Arif Yaqoob, Umair Afridi, Dan Mousley, Haseebullah Khan, Mohammad Zeeshan, Mehran Mumtaz, Luke Wood, Sufiyan Muqeem, Waqar Salamkheil, Arshad Iqbal, Gus Atkinson, Shamar Joseph
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