Naseem Shah: “In [the] case of Babar bhai, if you bowl a bad ball, he’ll put it away. But against good deliveries, you don’t get the feeling that he’ll get out”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan fast bowler Naseem Shah has admitted that it is extremely tough to bowl to star batsman Babar Azam as he will smash any bad deliveries away.
Naseem noted that even when you bowl good balls at him, it feels as if he won’t get out as he has the uncanny ability to score runs.
Azam recently showcased his batting prowess while captaining the Peshawar Zalmi in the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL) as he was the highest run-scorer with 569 runs in 11 games, which included a century and five fifties, at an average of 56.90 and a strike-rate of 142.60.
“Babar Azam is obviously a tough batter to bowl against. Against some batsmen, you get a feeling that he’ll get out anytime or smash you all around,” Naseem told Cricwick.
“In [the] case of Babar bhai, if you bowl a bad ball, he’ll put it away. But against good deliveries, you don’t get the feeling that he’ll get out.”
Naseem represented Islamabad United in PSL 9 and took 15 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 22.20 and an economy rate of 7.56.
Islamabad ended up winning the tournament after beating the Multan Sultans by two wickets in the final.
Peshawar Zalmi Squad for PSL 9:Â 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
Islamabad United Squad for PSL 9:Â Shadab Khan (captain), Naseem Shah, Jordan Cox, Imad Wasim, Azam Khan, Tymal Mills, Faheem Ashraf, Alex Hales, Colin Munro, Rumman Raees, Matthew Forde, Salman Ali Agha, Qasim Akram, Shahab Khan, Hunain Shah, Ubaid Shah, Shamyl Hussain, Obed McCoy, Haider Ali, Muhammad Waseem