Babar Azam can break into top three in all three formats, believes Brad Hogg
Former Australian spinner Brad Hogg believes that Pakistan T20I skipper Babar Azam is capable of being in ‘top three’ in ICC rankings in all three formats. Babar has been a fulcrum in Pakistan’s limited-overs scheme but has not been the most consistent of batsmen when it comes to the longest format.
Time and time again, Pakistan’s middle-order batsman Babar Azam has been making headlines with his scintillating display of batsmanship and as far as limited-overs cricket is concerned, is one of the most highly rated batters going around in the modern-day game.
Several greats have opined that Azam is amongst the top batsmen in the world and Hogg, for one, believes that the Pakistan youngster is capable of being in the top three in all three formats of the game.
“Love him. Look forward to when he travels to England and South Africa next. If he has success in those regions in Test cricket then he will be in the top three for all formats. White ball definitely in my best XI’s,” Hogg wrote on Twitter.
Pakistan's no.4 had a fine end to his 2019 season in red-ball cricket as he slammed 104 and 97 against Australia in Brisbane and Adelaide respectively, after which he cracked two centuries against Sri Lanka on home soil to take the sixth spot in the ICC Test rankings.
The 48-year-old also said that Babar’s red-ball facing ability can be judged as one amongst the best if he can perform well in the SENA countries.
“This year, I worked on improving the mistakes I made in the format and was able to overcome some of them which helped me make some runs. The more you play the longer format, the more you understand the nuances of the game and find your way,” Babar was quoted as saying by PTI.
“My innings in South Africa against Dale Steyn gave me great pleasure and confidence that I can get into the Test match zone. I also learned how to convert 60s and 70s into 100s, and then my century in Australia gave me confidence that I can make big runs in the format,” he added.