Tag: Babar Azam

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan’s all-format captain Babar Azam bettered his last day’s century with two wickets as he displayed an astounding all-round performance in the intra-squad scenario-based practice match ahead of the Sri Lanka tour.

Babar, who piled up runs on the first day of the practice match, displayed his brilliant bowling abilities on the second, as he found himself among the wickets.

The right-handed batter resumed his unbeaten century-plus knock on the second day and retired after scoring 134. After Babar, Fawad Alam was the highest run-scorer with his magnificent 75.

For Sarfaraz XI, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Hasan Ali, and Salman Ali Agha claimed a wicket apiece.

Salman also top-scored for his side as he scored an important 48, the skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed, Hasan, and Shaheen were the other notable run-getters for the side.

Besides Babar, Haris Rauf and Mubasir Khan also bagged two wickets each before the match concluded in a draw.

It is pertinent to mention here that following the conclusion of the intra-squad scenario-based practice match, the national squad for the away Test series against Sri Lanka will have a rest day tomorrow.

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RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Test opener Abdullah Shafique has praised the Pakistan skipper Babar Azam for bolstering the confidence of team members while proclaiming him one of his favorite batters, here at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.

Speaking to a scheduled Press conference during the underway training camp for the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka, Shafique hailed Babar as a world-class batter and an inspiration for other members of the team.

“Babar Azam is a world-class batter from whom I get the opportunity to learn a lot,” he said while pronouncing him as one of his favorite batsmen along with Ricky Ponting and Mohammad Yousuf.

Shafique also disclosed his feelings when he was been compared to the Indian legendary Test batter Rahul Dravid.”It felt good when Babar compared my batting with Rahul Dravid,” he expressed.

Talking about playing conditions in Sri Lanka, Shafique claimed it to be similar to the conditions in Pakistan.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan will tour Sri Lanka to play a two-match Test series, scheduled from July 16 to July 28.

READ: Pacers aid West Indies to sweep Test series against Bangladesh

KARACHI: Former West Indian cricketer and commentator Ian Bishop claimed that Babar Azam has almost surpassed Indian star batter, Virat Kohli, as ‘the ultimate uber fifty-over batter’.

Bishop praised Pakistan national team skipper for his consistent performance and record-breaking form in the limited-over cricket as he currently leads both ODI and T20I batters’ rankings.

“Babar Azam is on the road to greatness,(…)in the white-ball cricket and certainly in fifty overs,” claimed Bishop during a conversation with Cricwick.com.

Bishop further went on to compare Babar’s brilliance in the ODIs with Indian Ex-captain and eminent batter Kohli, while claiming that Pakistan’s captain has nearly overtaken the latter’s greatness in the ODI cricket.

“His average, as we speak now, (is) on the cusp on 60 with 17 ODI hundreds. He has almost overtaken his next-door neighbor, the great Virat Kohli, in terms of the ultimate uber 50-over batter,” he declared.

Former West Indies bowler also opined on Babar’s performance in Test cricket and hoped that he would soon excel himself in the longer format as well.

“His Test cricket is a work in progress. I’m surprised he hasn’t taken to Test cricket numbers a lot earlier. He’s starting to get better at it. Technically, he’s superb”, said Bishop.

“In future, I’m hoping he will be mentioned in the same breath in Test cricket as the top 3-4 players,” he concluded.

Bishop had also included Babar Azam in his recently announced all-time Pakistan XI.

It is pertinent to mention here that the top-ranked ODI batter Babar was named as the ICC ODI Men’s player of the year 2021 following his incredible run in the limited-overs format. He also became the first batter to score three consecutive ODI centuries twice.

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LAHORE: Pakistan’s top batter Babar Azam has received his commemorative cap for the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) ODI and T20I team of the year 2021.

Babar, who was named in the ICC ODI and T20I team of the year 2021 following his wonderful run in 2021 in the limited-overs format, has now received his commemorative caps at his residence here.

In 2021, Babar only played six ODIs yet managed to make an impact in the year with his brief stint. The top-ranked batter scored 405 runs at an average of 67.50 including two centuries.

His top performance came against England, in which the right-handed batter scored his career-best 158, but, went in vain as the men in green could not pull off the victory despite his heroics.

In T20Is however, Babar played 29 matches and aggregated 939 runs at an average of 37.56 with one century and nine half-centuries.

Taking to Twitter, Babar posted a picture of himself posing with the two commemorative caps.

“Hard work pays off,” the right-handed batter wrote on his Twitter.

Hard work pays off 🤗 pic.twitter.com/HwyvSXl672

— Babar Azam (@babarazam258) June 15, 2022

 

It is pertinent to mention here that the left-handed opener Fakhar Zaman was also named alongside Babar in the ICC ODI Team of the Year 2021, whereas wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan and the left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi were named in the T20I team of the Year 2021.

READ: Shaheen rises to fourth position in the latest ICC Test Bowling Rankings

DUBAI: Pakistan’s left-handed opener Imam-ul-Haq got the reward of his sublime run in the ODI cricket as he surpassed India’s top-batter Virat Kohli in the latest ICC ODI Batting Rankings to claim his career-best second rank.

Imam, who enjoyed a delightful home ODI series against the West Indies, has gotten the reward of his astounding performance as he has achieved his career-high second rank in the ICC ODI Batting Rankings.

Imam scored 199 runs at an average of 66.33 with the help of three consecutive half-centuries in the recently-concluded series against the West Indies. Following his brilliant performance, Imam was also adjudged as the player of the series.

Imam, who scored the second-most consecutive half-centuries (7) in the ODI cricket, has managed to dethrone Virat from the second spot, whom he had occupied since April 2021.

The left-handed batter achieved his career-high 815 ranking points in comparison with Kohli’s 811 to surpass the latter in the rankings.

Pakistan’s all-format captain Babar Azam, on the other hand, has retained the top spot with 892 rating points.

🥇 @babarazam258 retains No.1 spot in the rankings
🌟 Career-best ranking for @ImamUlHaq12 in ODIs 🔼

The star 🇵🇰 duo occupy the top two spots in the ICC ODI Rankings 🤩 pic.twitter.com/hDOZalppVf

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) June 15, 2022

 

It is pertinent to mention here that this is the first instance in the history of Pakistan cricket that the first and second spots in the ODI batting rankings are occupied by the Pakistani batters.

READ: Ramiz discusses England Tour of Pakistan with British High Commissioner 

KARACHI: Pakistan’s all-format skipper and the top-ranked white-ball batter Babar Azam expressed his prime goal of winning two World Cups for Pakistan in the next one-and-a-half years.

Babar, who has been in sublime form in white-ball cricket for more than a year and has dominated the rankings, stated that if he leads his team to World Cup glory, his runs will be worth a goal.

“No doubt I am enjoying my form. But with this form, my prime goal is to win the two World Cups for Pakistan in the next one-and-a-half years and if that happens I will feel that my runs are worth gold,” Babar stated.

The top-ranked ODI batter also noted that his team must continue to improve in order to establish themselves as a force in the 50-overs format, as well as to assure automatic qualification for next year’s event and a second 50-over World Cup victory.

“We still need to improve in certain areas,” Babar said following the clean sweep victory over the West Indies, which helped the Green Shirts surpass India in the ICC ODI Rankings.

“We still lose wickets in clusters in the middle which puts us on the back foot. Here the players need better concentration; it’s an area to work on. The fielding has improved, but our body language still deteriorates when a good partnership develops, and it’s another thing we can try and improve,” he maintained.

Pakistan captain further reviewed his side’s performance in the recently-concluded ODI series against the West Indies while also commenting on the bench strength of the side, claiming it gives him a lift.

“We tried a different bowling combination and they performed very well. It’s very satisfying as a captain to see that,” Babar stated.

“Bench strength always gives you a lift. Knowing you have players on the bench who are ready to use is good to know. We had Iftikhar [Ahmed], Abdullah Shafique and [Shahnawaz] Dahani on the bench,” he concluded.

MULTAN: The second ODI between Pakistan and West Indies witnessed an enthralling moment when the national team skipper was found guilty of putting on a wicket-keeping glove while fielding, costing his side five penalty runs in the game.

The interesting incident happened in the 29th over of the game when left-arm spinner Muhammad Nawaz was bowling to West Indian Alzarri Joseph, who guided the ball onto the leg-side while the skipper received the throw wearing a single wicket-keeping glove.

As per the law, “No fielder other than the wicket-keeper shall be permitted to wear gloves or external leg guards. Further, the law mentions that if a fielder illegally fields the ball, umpires shall award five runs to the batting side.

Babar Azam received the penalty with an apologetic smile and shaking his head, a minor irritant to his otherwise joyful day as he made 77 runs with the bat in the first inning while his side completely dominated the West Indies in the field.

The touring side was bowled out on 155 runs while chasing a 276-runs target resulting in a 120 runs victory by Pakistan in the second ODI. The home side has an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.

READ: Look at the records tumble during Pakistan-West Indies second ODI

DUBAI: Following his sensational batting form, Pakistan’s captain and star batter Babar Azam has claimed the fourth position in the latest Test batting rankings announced by the International Cricket Council (ICC), here on Wednesday.

Babar has been elevated from fifth to the fourth spot in the latest rankings released by the ICC, as he surpassed New Zealand’s skipper Kane Williamson with a rating of 815 compared to the latter’s 806 ratings.

Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne remained at the top of the Test batters’ rankings, followed by England’s Joe Root as Australia’s Steve Smith slipped to the third spot.

It is pertinent to mention here that Babar still holds the top position in the ODI and T20I batters’ rankings with 891 and 818 ratings respectively.

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LAHORE: Pakistan’s under-19 captain in the recently concluded ICC U-19 World Cup 2022, Qasim Akram, admired Pakistan’s national team skipper Babar Azam for his batting skills, proclaiming him to be a role model.

The 19-year-old all-rounder claimed Babar to be his favorite cricketer while expressing his desire to establish a name in international cricket like him.

“Babar Azam has set the standard of Pakistan cricket around the world through his batting skills. I wish to achieve those standards,” said Qasim.

“Babar Azam has showcased phenomenal batting all around the world. I am a fan of his batting capabilities,” he added.

The young Qasim played under the captaincy of Karachi King’s skipper in the last edition of PSL while also playing for Central Punjab in the National T20 Cup under his leadership.

“It was a wonderful experience sharing the dressing room with the national team skipper. I sought useful tips from him to improve my cover drives and pull shots,” claimed Qasim.

The U-19 skipper Qasim Akram hails from Lahore and started his cricket career as a middle-order batsman and off-spin bowler like the national team captain.

The young all-rounder has taken everyone awe-struck with his outstanding performances in the U-19 World Cup and domestic tournaments. He scored 203 runs while taking 10 wickets in the World cup.

Currently, Qasim is a part of PCB’s pathway program designed to train talented young cricketers. The three-weeks training camp under the program will start on June 14.

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LAHORE: Pakistan’s all-format captain Babar Azam reacted to the praiseful comment made by the Indian wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik regarding him. 

Karthik, while featuring in the latest episode of the ICC Review last month, hosted by Sanjana Ganesan, made a major prediction regarding the Pakistan captain; claiming the latter has all the potential and capabilities to become the top-ranked batter across all formats.

“One-hundred per cent (he is capable of achieving that). He is a high-quality player who is at the peak of his batting prowess and he has got some Test matches coming up,” Karthik stated.

“He has been phenomenal in all three formats of the game and he has done well in different batting positions too. I wish him all the best and think he has the potential. He has got all the following of Pakistan helping him in abundance to go on and do special things for his country,” Karthik maintained.

Babar, on the other hand, reacted to the praising comments of Karthik regarding his future, in response to the question of a reporter: “Cricketers worldwide are in awe of your batting, and Dinesh Karthik has even said that you can become No. 1. Do you think you can get there, and if yes, what are you doing to achieve it?”

In response, Babar stated that as a player it is his dream to achieve this astounding feat and highlighted the factors that go into becoming No. 1.

“Definitely, as a player, it’s a dream to become the No. 1 in all formats and for that, you have to focus and put in hard work. It’s not like if you are the top player in 1 or 2 formats, you go easy,” he stated.

“If you are to become No.1 in all three, you have to keep yourself fit and on track. There is back-to-back cricket and the gap is less. For that, you need to be extra fit. It’s something I am preparing for. It’s going well in white-ball and hopefully, I will be able to do well in Tests too,” he concluded.

It is pertinent to mention here that Babar is currently the top-ranked batter in both ODIs and T20Is. In Tests, however, the Pakistan captain is ranked fifth behind Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson and Joe Root.

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