Salman Ali Agha: “I’m a fan of Babar’s work ethic. The way he prepares, I have not seen anyone prepare as well as he does in international cricket. Whether he’s performing or not, his preparation is always spot on”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan T20I captain Salman Ali Agha is a big fan of Babar Azam’s work ethic and said he has never seen “anyone prepare as well as he does in international cricket.”
Opposition teams always consider Azam to be a key wicket as he is capable of scoring big runs and winning matches for the men in green on his day.
The 31-year-old has struggled for consistency over the last year, but his form has slowly been moving in the right direction in Pakistan’s last few assignments.
Azam recently featured in Pakistan’s home series against South Africa, starting off with 131 runs in two Tests, which included a top score of 50, at an average of 32.75.
He followed that with 79 runs in three T20Is, highlighted by a top score of 68, averaging 39.50 with a strike-rate of 117.91.
In the three ODIs against the Proteas, he managed 45 runs at an average of 15.
Azam bounced back strongly in the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, accumulating 165 runs, which included his first international hundred since August 2023, at an average of 82.50.
He then participated in a T20I tri-series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, where he scored 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.
Azam missed Pakistan’s T20I tour of Sri Lanka as he represented the Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League (BBL), where he racked up 202 runs in 11 matches, which included two fifties, at an average of 22.44 and a strike-rate of 103.06.
“You may all be fans of his batting, but I’m a fan of Babar’s work ethic. The way he prepares, I have not seen anyone prepare as well as he does in international cricket. Whether he’s performing or not, his preparation is always spot on,” Salman was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
Azam returned to international duty after the BBL as he took part in Pakistan’s three-match T20I series against Australia and scored 76 runs, which included a top score of 50 not out, at an average of 38 and a strike-rate of 124.59.
He will now be involved in the 2026 T20 World Cup, where Pakistan will begin their campaign against the Netherlands on February 7 in Colombo.
Pakistan Squad for 2026 T20 World Cup: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper), Usman Tariq