On being asked ahead of the series in England whether the next three Tests will end with Babar Azam being considered among the top rung of international batsmen such as Virat Kohli and Steve Smith, Pakistan skipper Azhar Ali said, "he is right up there already".
Babar, 25, is deemed the visitors' best batsman, but the matches in difficult conditions in Manchester and Southampton against James Anderson, Stuart Broad & co offer him a chance to be recognised in that bracket of cricketers enriched by the likes of Kohli, Smith, Kane Williamson and opposition captain Joe Root.
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"People are thinking and talking about it. He is just hungry for runs and I think if he keeps doing that he will be up there for quite a long time," Azhar further told British Media.
"His performances have improved massively in Test matches over the last year or so. Firstly, he was performing really well in white-ball cricket and people thought he was only a white-ball player but he took on that challenge and played with a lot of freedom and flair."
"He is a very important player for us but I would like him to be free from any pressure and just enjoy his game," he added.
While runs from Babar and others are vital, what will help Pakistan compete or win is if they keep toe to toe for long periods of time with the home team's much-vaunted bowling attack.
The task is made extremely difficult by the gap in experience, but Azhar is confident that Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah will be able to stand up to it.
"They are very talented, obviously not as experienced as some of the bowling attacks that have come to England in the past, but potentially they are right up there," said Azhar.
"Naseem is a young talent who came up and played Test cricket from nowhere. He's impressed all of us and is in our number one bowling attack.... Over time he will get the experience he needs."
"In terms of his potential, he is very threatening and hopefully he will be very good for us in this series," he signed off.
The first Test begins at Old Trafford on Wednesday (August 5).
(Inputs from AFP)
