Mohammad Amir: “Babar is a big player, no doubt about that”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan left-arm seamer Mohammad Amir has said there is no doubt Babar Azam is a “big player”.
Amir’s comments come at a time when Azam has been criticised constantly for his poor run of form, which has lasted numerous months.
While he has found it tough to post big scores regularly, the 31-year-old has been rock solid with the bat in his last couple of assignments.
During the home series against South Africa, he scored 131 runs in two Tests, which included a top score of 50, at an average of 32.75.
He then made his T20I comeback and ended up making 79 runs in three matches, which included a top score of 68, at an average of 39.50 and a strike-rate of 117.91.
As for the ODI series against the Proteas, Azam finished with 45 runs at an average of 15.
Next up for Pakistan was three ODIs against Sri Lanka and Azam put on a show as he struck 165 runs, which included his first century in international cricket since August 2023, at an average of 82.50.
Having seen the Lahore native start to regain his form, Amir never had any doubt about his quality as a batsman.
“Babar is a big player, no doubt about that,” Amir was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Most recently, Azam was in action in Pakistan’s T20I tri-series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, and amassed 127 runs in five games, which included a top score of 74, at an average of 31.75 and a strike-rate of 112.38.
He is now playing for the Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League (BBL) and has scored 69 runs in three matches, which includes a top score of 58, at an average of 23 and a strike-rate of 121.05.
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