The debate over who is better, Babar Azam and Virat Kohli, is endless. Recently, former Pakistani skipper Shahid Afridi and batsman Imam-ul-Haq pitched their opinion. They admitted that their current captain has to put in more work to be placed in the same league as AB de Villiers and Kohli. Babar, aged 28, has had a remarkable performance in international cricket. In 272 matches across three formats, he has scored 11864 runs with an average of 49.84, including 28 hundred and 80 half-centuries. His teammate Imam expressed that Babar knows his need to do more to be labeled as a match-winner. During a chat on Samaa TV, Imam shared:
“Because I know him [Babar Azam], and this is discussed in our discussions. Babar agrees with it too. He says: ‘I have played enough cricket, I need to bring more dominance and command in my game so that I finish matches and don’t leave them midway.’”
Imam remarked on his similarity to world-famous cricketers Kohli and De Villiers, admitting that his captain knows his lower-than-average strike rate. The 27-year-old said:
“He [Babar] understands it and we’ve spoken a lot about it. We discuss matches need to be finished and he needs to dominate. To reach the domination levels, as you said, of Virat, I feel he needs to work on his strike rate.
“As Misbah [ul-Haq] said, after he reaches fifty, he should play like he wants to so that bowlers get scared of him. Even when he gets set, you don’t feel it as a threat [as a bowler], [you don’t feel] that he’ll hit you for shots here and there.
“If he’s able to get those finishing touches, it will benefit Pakistan, but most importantly, it will benefit him.”
Shahid Afridi asserted that Babar Azam is a world-class batsman, but his true worth lies in his ability to win matches. He further stated that Babar is No. 1 in the world, and he is the country’s identity, but one thing that stops him from reaching the AB de Villiers/Virat Kohli rank is finishing.
“As a match-winner, he hasn’t proved himself yet. If I am wrong, you can correct me. I want him to become a finisher. He should finish games. That’s the thing holding back his class.”
