Viv Richards: “I can tell you for sure. Babar is in a class by himself”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Iconic West Indies power-hitter Sir Viv Richards said Pakistan limited overs captain Babar Azam is “in a class by himself.”
Azam has been Pakistan’s most consistent run-scorer in all three formats for the past few years and has repeatedly led them to victory by himself.
Richards noted that it is also impressive to see how the 29-year-old is able to succeed without having to resort to playing aggressive cricket like a lot of the other top players in the world.
“I can tell you for sure. Babar is in a class by himself. I guess he doesn’t pick the bat up with all aggression like some of the other guys you see hitting big sixes. But he still gets the job done. And I just think he’s a magnificent player not just for Pakistan but also for world cricket,” he told Geo News.
“Babar has his style and every other batter around the world has their particular style, but there are some individuals that you appreciate seeing. And, Babar is certainly one of them.”
Azam recently captained the Peshawar Zalmi in the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL) and finished as 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.
Richards was also involved in PSL 9 as he was the Quetta Gladiators’ mentor.
After the completion of PSL 9, Azam led Pakistan in their five-match T20I series against New Zealand and made 125 runs in five games, which included a top score of 69, at an average of 31.25 and a strike-rate of 138.88.
Currently, he is in action in Pakistan’s three-match T20I series against Ireland and struck 57 runs in the first game, which the men in green lost by five wickets.
Following this series, Pakistan will play four T20Is against England from May 22 to May 30.
Pakistan Squad for Ireland and England T20I Series: Babar Azam (capt), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan
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