Steve Smith: “he maybe hasn’t scored as many runs as he would have liked in the last little bit. We’re all guilty of that at stages throughout our careers, don’t worry, but yeah, look, he’s a wonderful player”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Australia batsman Steve Smith has lauded his Pakistan counterpart Babar Azam, saying he is a “wonderful player” with a “solid technique”.
Smith’s praise for Azam comes at a time when the 30-year-old has been struggling to score runs consistently for the men in green.
Recently, the 30-year-old amassed 87 runs in two matches in the 2025 Champions Trophy, which included a top score of 64, at an average of 43.50.
Even though Azam has not been living up to expectations, Smith pointed out that “we’re all guilty of that at stages throughout our careers”. Additionally, Smith feels people should stop worrying about the Lahore native as he will bounce back soon.
“Look, he’s a quality player. He has had a really good career so far. He’s got all the time in the world, the way he plays, he has got a solid technique, he’s got a good head on his shoulders, so yeah, he maybe hasn’t scored as many runs as he would have liked in the last little bit. We’re all guilty of that at stages throughout our careers, don’t worry, but yeah, look, he’s a wonderful player,” he was quoted as saying by Sports Tak.
Azam was not picked for Pakistan’s ongoing T20I series against New Zealand, where the men in green find themselves 3-1 down heading into the 5th T20I on March 26 in Wellington.
However, he has been selected for the upcoming three-match ODI series, which begins on March 29 in Napier.
Pakistan Squad for T20I Series against New Zealand: Hasan Nawaz, Omair Yousuf, Mohammad Haris, Abdul Samad, Salman Ali Agha (captain), Irfan Khan Niazi, Khushdil Shah, Shadab Khan, Abbas Afridi, Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Sufiyan Muqeem, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Khan
Pakistan Squad for ODI Series against New Zealand: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Akif Javed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Irfan Khan Niazi, Naseem Shah, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir
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