Wahab Riaz: “Babar is undoubtedly a top player, one of the best in the world”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan left-arm pace bowler Wahab Riaz said there is no doubt that batsman Babar Azam is “one of the best in the world”.
Azam has long been Pakistan’s most consistent run-scorer in all three formats as he has repeatedly rescued the men in green from precarious situations.
Even though the 31-year-old’s batting has been somewhat turbulent as of late, Wahab stressed that he is a “top player”.
“Babar is undoubtedly a top player, one of the best in the world,” he was quoted as saying by PakPassion.
Azam was recently in action in the 2026 T20 World Cup, where he failed to impress as he mustered 91 runs in six matches at an average of 22.75 and a strike-rate of 112.34.
He was then left out of Pakistan’s team for the three-match ODI series in Bangladesh, which the men in green lost 2-1.
Azam bounced back brilliantly during the 2026 Pakistan Super League (PSL) as he captained the Peshawar Zalmi to the title and finished as the highest run-scorer with 588 runs in 11 games, which included two centuries and three fifties, at an average of 73.50 and a strike-rate of 145.90.
Next up for Azam will be Pakistan’s tour of Bangladesh, which will consist of two Tests that will be played in Mirpur and Sylhet from May 8 to 20.
Pakistan Squad for Bangladesh Test Series: Shan Masood (captain), Abdullah Fazal, Amad Butt, Azan Awais, Babar Azam, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Ghazi Ghori (wicketkeeper), Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi