Imad Wasim: “In ODI cricket Babar has the best record in the world. He will never be dropped, to be honest, and even in Test cricket, there’s no question about Babar’s performance”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan left-arm spinner Imad Wasim doesn’t think batsman Babar Azam can be dropped in ODIs and Tests as he is too good.
Imad feels that Azam has the “best record in the world” when it comes to ODIs, while he has also proven himself time and time again in Test cricket.
“In ODI cricket Babar has the best record in the world. He will never be dropped, to be honest, and even in Test cricket, there’s no question about Babar’s performance,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
“It’s the 50-over format – you need players like him and Babar does it better than anyone else in the world. So, One-Day cricket is totally different.”
Azam recently captained the Peshawar Zalmi in the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL) and accumulated 288 runs in 10 games, which included three fifties, at an average of 36 and a strike-rate of 128.57.
After PSL 10 finished, he failed to be included in Pakistan’s squad for their three-match T20I series against Bangladesh, which they won 3-0.
The 30-year-old continued to be overlooked by the selectors for the tour of Bangladesh, where Pakistan lost the T20I series 2-1.
This trend continued during the first half of the West Indies tour as Azam wasn’t part of the team when Pakistan triumphed 2-1 in the T20I series.
He finally returned to play in the ODI series and amassed 56 runs in three games at an average of 18.66.
Following their tour of the West Indies, the men in green faced the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Afghanistan in a T20I tri-series in Sharjah, which they won.
Pakistan are now participating in the 2025 Asia Cup, which is being played in the UAE.
Pakistan squad for UAE T20I tri-series and 2025 Asia Cup: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem