Sikandar Raza: “Sometimes, it’s disheartening to see how quickly people turn on players. But someone like Babar deserves all the respect. He has consistently delivered for Pakistan at the highest level”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza admitted it is disappointing to see how fast people turn on Pakistan players and demanded that star batsman Babar Azam be shown the utmost respect.
He noted that Azam has “consistently delivered for Pakistan at the highest level” and shouldn’t be criticised if the men in green lose or if he fails to perform in a few matches.
Azam recently toured South Africa with the Pakistan team and began by scoring 31 runs in two T20Is at an average of 15.50.
He then went on to make 148 runs in three ODIs, which included two fifties, at an average of 49.33.
The 30-year-old showed more encouraging signs in the two-Test series as he finished with 193 runs, which included three half-centuries, at an average of 48.25.
However, he was unable to have the same level of success in Pakistan’s two-Test series against the West Indies in Multan as he was limited to 45 runs at an average of 11.25.
Despite this, Raza pointed out that people should not forget how much Azam has done for Pakistan cricket and what he has achieved in his career so far.
“Sometimes, it’s disheartening to see how quickly people turn on players. But someone like Babar deserves all the respect. He has consistently delivered for Pakistan at the highest level,” he told Cricket Pakistan.
Azam will now feature in Pakistan’s ODI tri-series against New Zealand and South Africa before playing 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
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