Babar Azam might catch up to Kohli and Smith, feels Sarfaraz Ahmed
Sarfaraz Ahmed has compared Babar Azam with Virat Kohli and Steve Smith. The 24-year-old, who is ranked number one in the ICC T20I rankings for batsmen, has been a vital cog for the Pakistan team that has been dominating top nations in T20I cricket.
Both Virat Kohli and Steve Smith are world-class batsman, who have dominated different formats of cricket over the years. Smith seems to be way ahead of everyone in terms of Test cricket, while Kohli seems to be a jack of all trades, performing well across different formats. Azam who is often compared to these two greats has been better than both these players in T20I cricket.
What separates Azam from these two players is his ability to remain calm under tense situations and play his natural game. One might be even tempted to compare him to the great MS Dhoni who was also well known for his cool demeanour on the field. Azam exhibits maturity on the field that his beyond his age, a talent that many budding cricketers can learn from. His talent for playing according to the plan has also helped him move up in the team, as the Pakistan selectors seem to be grooming him for future leadership rule, even skipper Sarfaraz backs the youngsters.
“Babar Azam can be in that category the [of Smith, Kohli, Root, and Williamson] way he is progressing. In truth, he even ranks among them now. If he can keep up his form, he'll begin to be talked among that list by everyone very quickly," the Pakistan captain was quoted as saying by Times Now.
Right now the Pakistan team is gearing up to take on Sri Lanka to prove to the world that Pakistan is safe to play cricket again. They would be hoping to start proceedings on their home soil with a win over the Sri Lankans, and the team management would be looking towards Azam to play his part.
“Friday will be one of my biggest days when I will take the field as Pakistan vice-captain. I will want the entire country as well as the National Stadium crowd to make this a day to remember for me," he had tweeted ahead of the start of the series.
