Pakistan’s legendary bowler, Wasim Akram, has publicly voiced his strong support for star batsman Babar Azam, emphasizing that Azam still has a long and successful career ahead of him, with much more to achieve for his country.
Babar Azam has faced a challenging period recently, marked by inconsistent performances across various formats. His struggles even led to him missing several T20I series, including the crucial Asia Cup, before he was brought back into the squad for the current three-match series against South Africa.
During a recent match, the 31-year-old achieved a significant milestone, surpassing India’s Rohit Sharma to become the highest run-scorer in men’s T20 cricket. This remarkable feat occurred as Pakistan decisively defeated South Africa by nine wickets, leveling the series at 1-1.
In pursuit of a modest target of 111, Pakistan comfortably reached it, largely thanks to Saim Ayub’s explosive unbeaten knock of 71 runs from just 38 deliveries. Babar Azam, batting at the other end, remained unbeaten on 11, securing the record by exceeding Sharma’s previous benchmark of 4,231 runs.
Earlier in the game, Pakistan’s bowlers Salman Mirza and Faheem Ashraf delivered an outstanding performance, collectively taking seven wickets to bowl out South Africa for a mere 110 runs.
Speaking to Cricket Pakistan, Wasim Akram passionately urged both fans and critics to stand by Babar Azam, stressing that a temporary dip in form does not diminish the quality of a player of his immense talent. “Babar still has a lot of cricket left in him and can achieve so much for Pakistan. We all need to support him,” Akram stated.
Prior to this T20I series, Babar had a relatively quiet performance in the two Test matches against South Africa, where he accumulated 131 runs at an average of 32.75.
With an impressive tally of 4,234 runs from 130 T20 matches, including 36 half-centuries and three centuries, Babar Azam firmly remains one of Pakistan’s most prolific modern-day batsmen. Cricket enthusiasts now eagerly await the series decider against South Africa, scheduled for Saturday.