Adam Gilchrist: “Babar Azam is the only player who plays all three formats as if they are Test cricket”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Legendary Australia wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist has said Pakistan’s Babar Azam is the only cricketer he knows who plays all three formats like its Test cricket.
Gilchrist’s remarks come amid ongoing scrutiny of Azam’s strike-rate, particularly in T20Is, where it has been widely criticised as being too low.
As a result, many have urged the 31-year-old to adapt to the demands of modern-day cricket, which increasingly requires a faster scoring rate.
“Babar Azam is the only player who plays all three formats as if they are Test cricket,” Gilchrist was quoted as saying by Samaa TV.
Azam recently captained the Peshawar Zalmi in the 2026 Pakistan Super League (PSL) and played an instrumental role in leading them to the title as he was the highest run-scorer in the tournament with 588 runs in 11 matches, which included two centuries and three fifties, at an average of 73.50 and a strike-rate of 145.90.
He then featured in Pakistan’s two-Test series against Bangladesh, which the men in green lost 2-0.
After missing the 1st Test in Mirpur with a left knee injury, the Lahore native returned for the 2nd Test in Sylhet and posted scores of 68 and 47.
Next up for Azam and Pakistan will be a three-match ODI series against Australia, which will be held in Rawalpindi and Lahore from May 30 to June 4.
Pakistan Squad for Australia ODI Series: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Salman Ali Agha (vice captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Maaz Sadaqat, Ghazi Ghori (wicketkeeper), Naseem Shah, Rohail Nazir (wicketkeeper), Sahibzada Farhan, Shadab Khan, Shamyl Hussain, Sufyan Moqim