Pakistan captain Babar Azam has already established himself as one of the best batsmen of the time.
Technique, temperament, consistency — Babar is now a complete cricketer, which is why former Pakistan batter and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) president Ramiz Raja has drawn comparisons with Don Bradman, the greatest cricketer of all time.
As Raja pointed out, Babar has displayed a level of consistency that is truly remarkable given the high-risk nature of the white-ball format. This consistency is built on a foundation of exceptional technique and temperament, both of which Azam possesses in abundance.
"Babar Azam is no less than Don Bradman. In white-ball cricket, he has statistically become the best player in the world. I have never seen so much consistency from a player in such a risky format. The base of which is his technique and temperament. He has no technical issues, whether it is a grassy pitch or a pitch like Karachi, where bowlers generally struggles," Raja said.
Babar scored a superb century Friday to help lift Pakistan to the top of the one-day international rankings for the first time in history after a thumping 102-run victory in the fourth match against New Zealand in Karachi. Babar stroked a 117-ball 107 and also became the fastest batter to reach 5,000 ODI runs, as his team made 334-6 in their 50 overs.
His 18th ODI hundred took him past the mark in his 97th innings in the format, beating former South Africa batter HashimAmla's previous record of 101 innings.
"He is fastest to 5000 ODI runs and has surpassed many legends like Viv Richards, which is a big achievement. He is the reason why Pakistan has become number one team in ODI rankings," he concluded.
