On Day 4 of the second Test between Pakistan and Australia in Karachi, Pakistani captain Babar Azam batted brilliantly and scored a brilliant ton to keep his side alive in the match, as it progressed on the final day on Wednesday.
Pakistan had gotten off to a poor start in their 506-run chase, but the entrance of Babar boosted the run rate, as he forged a 222-run partnership with Abdullah Shafique (96).
When Babar appeared at the crease, Pakistan was reeling at 21/2 in 22.2 overs. Following his century, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam was praised by a number of former and current cricketers, including India's Ravichandran Ashwin, who commented on Babar's innings on his official Twitter account.
“Babar Azam (applause emojis), going to be an exciting finish tomorrow. #PAKvAUS,” Ashwin wrote.
Rashid Latif, former Pakistan captain, praised Ashwin's reaction to Babar's performance, saying that the Indian off-spinner "remains in the front" when it comes to heaping praise on opponents.
“Ashwin always remains in the front. Let it be an interview with Inzamam or praising Babar. We had shared a good relationship with (Ajay) Jadeja but such communication is missing nowadays (between players of both sides),” Latif said on his official YouTube channel.
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The former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter went on to say that Ashwin tweets what he's thinking, which Latif believes is something he doesn't see in other players in India and Pakistan.
“There's one thing about Ashwin. Whatever's in his heart, he expresses it with his tweets. This is not the first time he did this, he does this all the time. All the players, on our side as well as their side, are watching the games but they don't express,” said the 53-year-old who represented Pakistan in 37 Tests and 166 ODIs.
On Wednesday, both teams will play a thrilling last day of the Test at the National Stadium in Karachi. While Babar and his teammates hope to continue their comeback, Australia might be one wicket away from claiming their first series victory.
