Azam is currently the number one ranked T20I and ODI player in the world.
Babar Azam, who has been in the form of his life, is playing outstanding cricket both as a player and captain of his team, according to the national team’s batting coach Mohammad Yousuf, who made the statement on Thursday (August 25).
Azam will walk into the upcoming Asia Cup 2022 in the UAE as the world’s number one batter in ODI and T20I formats according to the ICC rankings. He is the only batter in the world who is in the top 3 of batting rankings across formats.
"Babar Azam has been showing everyone for the past two-three years that he is a big player and performs even better in pressure situations. A player becomes big when he performs well under pressure. He is on a path towards becoming great in the game. The way he is batting in all formats, that too with the responsibility of captaincy, is an achievement. Even the team responds to him well. As a player and as a captain, he is playing exceptional cricket," said Yousuf at a press conference.
In what is regarded as the cricketing world's greatest rivalry, Pakistan will play India on Sunday, August 28, in Dubai during the Asia Cup.
The team's focus, according to Yousuf, is on winning the Asia Cup rather than just the match against the Men in Blue. He also noted that the Pakistani players' practice session was excellent and that they worked hard despite the heat.
"It is hot and humid. But they are professionals. They practiced really hard. Of course, they are humans, they will feel heat and weakness. But they are enjoying it," he added.
Pakistan squad for Asia Cup: Babar Azam (C), Shadab Khan (VC) Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani and Usman Qadir.
(ANI INPUTS)