The former Pakistan cricketer, Javed Miandad praised Babar Azam post-Rawalpindi Test against Bangladesh. In the recent list updated by the International Cricket Council (ICC), Azam has climbed two positions up to the fifth position in the world Test rankings.
In the recently-concluded Test match between Pakistan and Bangladesh, Azam posted a 193-ball 143 runs at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. It was his fifth Test ton that helped his team to push Bangladesh on the backfoot.
However, with Pakistan’s bowling being at its peak, Bangladesh was rendered speechless by the spellbinding Naseem Shah. He was named as the Player of the Match for bagging four wickets in the second innings while throwing two maiden overs in the first one.
Pakistan now leads 1-0 in the two-match Test series after winning the opening Test by an innings and 44 runs.
Javed Miandad reckons Babar Azam’s style of play reminds him of Zaheer Abbas:
On the other hand, this is the fourth century in the last five Test games played by Pakistan’s top-ranking batsman. Whereas, he was ceased from having a fifth by mere three runs when he got dismissed for 97 against Australia.
His remarkable batting has, however, captured the eyes of the former Pakistan cricketer, Miandad who reckons Azam’s playing style to be as that of the legendary Zaheer Abbas.
“Babar is a great talent and the way he plays is just like that of former test cricketer Zaheer Abbas. He just needs to tune himself a bit when playing on foreign tours according to the wickets there,” Miandad was quoted as saying on his YouTube Channel.
Abbas had played 78 Tests and 62 ODIs for Pakistan, scoring more than 7,600 runs with 19 centuries and 33 half-centuries. Azam has played 74 ODIs amassing 11 centuries and 48 Test innings with five centuries tucked in his bag.
On the other hand, Miandad also lauded the 16-year-old Naseem Shah for picking up a four-wicket haul in the second innings of the Rawalpindi Test. He dismissed Najmul Hossain Shanto, Taijul Islam and Mahmudullah Riyad to accomplish the milestone.
Meanwhile, he also suggested the Bangladesh team to include some of the players from their U-19 team for the second Test scheduled on April 5 in Karachi.
The Akbar Ali-led the young Bangladesh team to win the coveted U-19 World Cup via the DLS method and defeated the four-time defending champions, India U-19.