Babar Azam has emerged as one of the batting giants in modern-day cricket, having single-handedly shouldering the responsibility of Pakistan’s batting in the last few years across three formats.
The right-hander has impressed one and all with his growth and consistency and he often gets compared with the likes of Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson and Joe Root – the ‘fab4’ of contemporary cricket.
Sharing his thoughts on the debate, swashbuckling West Indies opener Chris Gayle said that the current Pakistan skipper is up there among the top three batsmen in the world.
“He is good as good as them,” Gayle told Geo News when asked if he rates Babar as good as Kohli or Smith.
“He's like up there with the top three, top four. He's definitely in the mix with them. So, you can't shy away from the fact that he's not up there where those guys you mentioned are. Yes, he's on top of his game as well and I'm talking about all formats of the game,” he added.
Babar Azam has played 31 Test for Pakistan, scoring 2167 runs at an average of 44.22 with 5 hundreds and 16 fifties. In ODIs, he holds an impressive record, amassing 3580 runs from 77 games at 55.94, including 12 tons and 16 half-centuries.
Babar, who occupies 4th spot in the ICC T20I batting rankings, has 1730 runs to his name in the shortest format from 47 matches. He averages 48.06 in T20Is with 16 fifties under his belt.
Coming to Chris Gayle, he is currently in Pakistan to participate in the 2021 edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL). The 41-year-old will turn up for Quetta Gladiators in the T20 tournament, scheduled to start on February 20.
“I'm excited to be in Pakistan for the first time in 15 years. Unfortunately, I only have two games because of international duties, but as I said, the first thing I'm looking to do is to give my best to Gladiators," Gayle said.
"Hopefully, I can get a start and showcase my entertainment side of the cricket so that fans feel a bit happy and I can give them something to cheer about."
