"AB de Villiers" - Babar Azam picks former South African captain as favorite batting partner

Pakistan star Babar Azam chose former South African captain AB de Villiers as his favorite batting partner in an interactive Q & A session with fans on his social media handle.

De Villiers played international cricket for almost 15 years and enthralled fans worldwide with his innovative batting and numerous match-winning performances. He finished his career with over 20,000 runs across formats, including 47 centuries and the fastest ODI ton off 31 deliveries.

When asked about his dream batting partner, Babar said:

"AB de Villiers is always my dream batting partner. I have played against him but not with him."

Surprisingly, De Villiers joined the conversation through his X (formerly Twitter) handle and responded:

"Would have loved to bat with u too my man."

The former Pakistan captain also picked Steve Smith as the batter with the best cover drive in world cricket.

Babar also went on to share the life lessons he learned before becoming a cricket icon by saying:

"I have worked as a laborer as well. I used to work in the morning and later do net practice. These are stages of life which give you lessons."

The 29-year-old is arguably the best batter in the world across formats, with over 13,000 runs, including an incredible 31 centuries. He recently relinquished captaincy in all formats after Pakistan's dismal 2023 World Cup campaign, where the side failed to qualify for the semi-final.

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Babar Azam picks his favorite knocks across formats

Babar Azam has played several match-winning knocks in all three formats.

Babar Azam chose the Brisbane and Karachi knocks of 104 and 196, respectively, against Australia as his favorite in the Test format. The former came in Pakistan's second innings in a losing effort, while the latter nearly helped Pakistan pull off a sensational run chase of 506 before the match eventually ended in a draw.

The stylish batter also picked the 158 against England in Birmingham in 2021 as his favorite ODI knock despite Pakistan losing a thriller by three wickets.

"My century in Brisbane against Australia in 2019 and the 196-run knock in the second Test against Australia in Karachi in 2022 are my favorites in Tests. In white-ball cricket, 158 against England in Birmingham and T20I centuries against South Africa and New Zealand hold a special place in my heart," said Babar.

Babar was part of Pakistan's disastrous Trans-Tasmanian tour recently, where they suffered a 0-3 Test series whitewash against Australia, followed by a 1-4 defeat to New Zealand in the T20Is. Despite not scoring a half-century in the Australia Tests, the champion batter regained form and scored half-centuries in three of the five T20Is against the Kiwis.