“First player after Shahid bhai” - Former Pakistan captain’s massive praise for Babar Azam before PAK vs WI 2025 2nd Test

Former Pakistan skipper Azhar Ali has made a massive claim about Babar Azam's stature as a cricketer. The former right-hander opined that the star batter is the first player from Pakistan after Shahid Afridi to capture global attention, including in India.

Despite undergoing a lean patch in the last two years, the former Pakistan captain holds the top rank in the ICC ODI Rankings for batters. The Lahore-born cricketer is only nine runs away from overtaking Rohit Sharma as the top run-getter in T20Is as he is currently on 4,223.

Speaking in an interview, Azhar underlined Babar's achievements before pointing out that too much focus is on what he hasn't achieved.

As quoted by CricketPakistan.pk, he stated:

"Babar is the first player after Shahid bhai who has captured the attention of the world, including in India. A conventional batter getting such applause is rare. Look at what he has achieved. You are too focused on what he hasn’t done. The runs he is scoring in all three formats are phenomenal. We need to recognize how good he truly is."

Babar Azam's captaincy has come into criticism especially after Pakistan's group-stage exits in the 2023 50-over World Cup and T20 World Cup 2024. He voluntarily stepped down after the 2023 World Cup but the selectors picked him to lead the side in the T20 World Cup the following year.

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"I have criticized Babar a lot for his captaincy" - Azhar Ali

Azhar Ali. (Image Credits: Getty)

Azhar Ali also maintained that Babar Azam needed to make a new and well-drilled side under his captaincy but has hardly put a foot down as a batter for Pakistan.

The 39-year-old added:

"I have criticized Babar a lot for his captaincy. I still believe that after captaining for such a long time, he should have built another team during this period. But when it comes to his batting, I say, please stop."

Babar Azam will next be seen in action during the second Test against the West Indies in Multan, beginning on January 25.