Jason Gillespie: “What I will say is that Babar is a fine player. I think he’s one of the best players in the world. And, yeah, he had a bit of a lean, lean patch, but I don’t think, but I don’t think many great players around the world have never had a lean patch”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan head coach Jason Gillespie has no doubt that Babar Azam is “one of the best players in the world” despite his poor form as of late.
Gillespie isn’t overly concerned about Azam’s lack of runs over the past few months, saying many of the top players in the world go through rough patches at certain points in their careers.
Recently, Azam featured in Pakistan’s ODI tri-series against New Zealand and South Africa, where the men in green made it to the final before losing to the Black Caps.
In the three matches he played, he amassed 62 runs at an average of 20.66.
“What I will say is that Babar is a fine player. I think he’s one of the best players in the world. And, yeah, he had a bit of a lean, lean patch, but I don’t think, but I don’t think many great players around the world have never had a lean patch,” Gillespie told Sky Sports Cricket as quoted by Cricket Pakistan.
Azam’s next assignment will be the 2025 Champions Trophy, which will be held 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