Mohammad Amir: “For you Virat Kohli is a big player because he is from India, but for me, Babar Azam is a big player because we belong to the same country”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan left-arm seamer Mohammad Amir has called batsman Babar Azam a “big player”.
Azam has been Pakistan’s most consistent run-scorer in all three formats of the game for years, but has been battling to break out of a rough patch for the last few months.
Even though his runs have dried up lately, Amir refused to play down the 30-year-old’s talent, insisting that he is still right up there with the best of the best.
He noted that just like some people see India batsman Virat Kohli as a top star, he feels the same way about Azam.
“For you Virat Kohli is a big player because he is from India, but for me, Babar Azam is a big player because we belong to the same country,” the 32-year-old from Gujar Khan was quoted as saying by Khel Shel on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Azam recently travelled to South Africa with the Pakistan team and made 31 runs in two T20Is at an average of 15.50.
He had a lot more success in the ODI series, amassing 148 runs in three matches, which included two fifties, at an average of 49.33.
As for the two-Test series, he finished with 193 runs, which included three half-centuries, at an average of 48.25.
Azam then featured in Pakistan’s two-Test series against the West Indies, but saw his form dip once again as he only managed to score 45 runs at an average of 11.25.
Next up for him will be Pakistan’s ODI tri-series against New Zealand and South Africa.
Afterwards, he will play in the 2025 Champions Trophy, which will take place from February 19 to March 9.
Pakistan Squad for 2025 Champions Trophy: Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah