Moeen Ali: “He’s a big fan of Babar, you know”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
England all-rounder Moeen Ali has revealed spinner Adil Rashid is a “big fan” of Pakistan batsman Babar Azam.
Azam has constantly been praised for being one of the best batsmen in the world, even though he is going through a rough patch right now.
The 31-year-old is fighting hard to regain his form and has shown promising signs from time to time.
“He’s a big fan of Babar, you know,” Moeen said on the Beard Before Wicket podcast as quoted by Cricket Pakistan.
Azam recently featured in Pakistan’s home series against South Africa, where he started off with 131 runs in two Tests, which included a top score of 50, at an average of 32.75.
He then went on to make 79 runs in three T20Is, which included a top score of 68, at an average of 39.50 and a strike-rate of 117.91.
After that came three ODIs, where he finished with 45 runs at an average of 15.
Azam enjoyed a lot more success in the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, accumulating 165 runs in three matches, which included his first international century since August 2023, at an average of 82.50.
Following this, the Lahore native participated in Pakistan’s T20I tri-series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe and ended up with 127 runs in five matches, which included a top score of 74, at an average of 31.75 and a strike-rate of 112.38.
Currently, he is taking part in the Big Bash League (BBL), where he has scored 71 runs in four games for the Sydney Sixers, which includes a top score of 58, at an average of 17.75 and a strike-rate of 110.93.
Pakistan’s next assignment will be a three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, which will take place in Dambulla from January 7 to 11.
Pakistan Squad for Sri Lanka T20I Series: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmad, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Salman Mirza, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper), Usman Tariq
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