Imad Wasim: “Nobody in Pakistan has the skills that Babar Azam has in One-day cricket. I can’t believe some people are saying drop him from this format”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former left-arm spinner Imad Wasim is shocked that people want batsman Babar Azam dropped from the ODI team, saying “nobody in Pakistan has the skills” that he possesses in the 50-over format.
Azam currently averages 55.17 in ODIs, but has struggled to score runs consistently as of late.
That said, he has shown signs of getting back to his best as he made 87 runs in two matches at the 2025 Champions Trophy, which included a top score of 64, at an average of 43.50.
He followed it up with 129 runs in three ODIs against New Zealand, which included two fifties, at an average of 43.
“Nobody in Pakistan has the skills that Babar Azam has in One-day cricket. I can’t believe some people are saying drop him from this format,” Imad was quoted as saying by respected journalist Saj Sadiq on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Azam recently captained the Peshawar Zalmi in the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL) and accumulated 288 runs in 10 matches, which included three half-centuries, at an average of 36 and a strike-rate of 128.57.
Pakistan will now take on Bangladesh in a three-match T20I series, but Azam was not included in the squad.
The three T20Is will take place in Lahore from May 28 to June 1.
Pakistan Squad for Bangladesh T20I Series: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper) and Saim Ayub
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