Manchester: Former England captain Nasser Hussain has lavished praise on Pakistan batsman Babar Azam, stating that he is in the league of best in world cricket. Babar has garnered heavy acclamation after the Pakistan Test vice-captain put on a fine show with the bat on the first day of the first Test against England at the Old Trafford.
Babar was out for 69 in Pakistan’s first innings total of 326. Opener Shan Masood scored 156. This was Babar’s fifth consecutive 50-plus score in as many Tests with his previous five matches yielding three hundred.
Watching Babar play some breathtaking drives against the likes of James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Jofra Archer and Chris Woakes, Hussain, who is currently regarded as one of the best commentators going around, went on to say that people don’t talk about Babar much as he is not India captain Virat Kohli.
“If this lad was Virat Kohli, everyone would be talking about it but because it is Babar Azam, no one is talking about it,” said the former right-hander. “He’s young, he’s elegant, he’s got all the swagger. Pakistan have a world-class batsman in Babar Azam.”
Nasser Hussain doesn’t want people to underestimate Babar Azam’s talent!#ENGvPAK pic.twitter.com/aeGxpCFIvO
— ICC (@ICC) August 6, 2020
“It’s not only his stats but the way he gets them, how elegant a player he is. He plays through that off-side beautifully, a lovely driver of the ball, good off the front foot and the back foot. He’s a very, very watchable young man, he really is an outstanding player,” added Hussain.
Hussain also felt sad for Babar, saying it’s a shame that he does not get the attention that the fab four – Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson and Joe Root — get. “They keep going on about the fab four, it’s the fab five and Babar Azam is in that,” he said. “Babar showed his class on Day 1 of the first Test against England in Manchester too, remaining unbeaten on 69 to take Pakistan to 139 for 2 at stumps.”
“I’ve been trying to figure out why he has got better recently in Test cricket,” Hussain explained. “I think he is playing pace a lot better and he is playing the ball later. High class! People get runs but also you’ve got to remember that you’re trying to entertain people and when this lad bats and gets hundreds like he has been, he is so, so watchable.
“He’s such a good player, he’s in good nick. He did it in white-ball cricket at the start of his career but couldn’t quite sort out Test cricket but we showed the stats earlier and since 2018 he’s been the best Test match player. I think he’s only failed once in that period, one single-figure score,” he added.
