Aaron Finch: “You’ve got one of the best players that I’ve ever played against. I played against Babar in Pakistan, and it was almost impossible to get him out”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Australia opener Aaron Finch has admitted that it was “almost impossible” to get Babar Azam out when he played against the Pakistan batsman.
Finch described Babar Azam as one of Pakistan’s most gifted players, acknowledging his class despite a dip in form over the past year.
While discussing the 31-year-old’s abilities, Finch said the prolific right-hander is still “one of the best players that I’ve ever played against,” underlining the high regard in which he holds the former Pakistan captain.
“You’ve got one of the best players that I’ve ever played against. I played against Babar in Pakistan, and it was almost impossible to get him out. I know he’s been a little bit more quiet in the last 18 months, but he’s a world-beater at his very best,” he was quoted as saying by Geo Super.
Azam recently featured in the 2026 T20 World Cup, where he scored 91 runs in six matches at an average of 22.75 and a strike-rate of 112.34.
Pakistan then took on Bangladesh in a three-match ODI series in Mirpur, but the Lahore native was left out of the team as Bangladesh secured a 2-1 win.
Azam is now captaining the Peshawar Zalmi in the 2026 Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he began by making 39 runs against the Rawalpindiz.
The Zalmi’s next game against Islamabad United was abandoned due to rain.
Azam and his side will be back in action on April 8 when they face the Hyderabad Kingsmen in Karachi.
Peshawar Zalmi Squad for PSL 11: Babar Azam (captain), Sufiyan Muqeem, Abdul Samad, Ali Raza, Aaron Hardie, Aamer Jamal, Khurram Shahzad, Khalid Usman, Mohammad Haris, Abdul Subhan, James Vince, Michael Bracewell, Kusal Mendis, Iftikhar Ahmed, Nahid Rana, Mirza Tahir Baig, Kashif Ali, Shahnawaz Dahani, Farhan Yousuf, Shoriful Islam, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Brian Bennett