Cricket analyst Harsha Bhogle was in awe after seeing Babar Azam's backfoot punch off Tim Southee in the recent Tri-Series final in New Zealand.

The shot that Babar made in the opening over of Pakistan's innings caught Bhogle's attention. Babar quickly pushed back, stood tall to punch the ball, and beat the mid-off fielder after Southee had bowled a good length, the regulation short ball with a hint of away swing.

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Bhogle recalled that he had chosen to watch the Tri-Series final between Pakistan and New Zealand in his Melbourne hotel room in response to a follower's question on Twitter.

"I interviewed with him and just loved the interaction. I like interacting with him. I'll tell you a small thing about him," he said in a video posted on Twitter.

"Now I am in my hotel room in Melbourne and have nothing to do, so I am watching New Zealand versus Pakistan. He didn't score much, it was 15 of 14, but there was one shot he played off Tim Southee. Just stand up on the back foot and hit it straight past the bowler. And I said, wow, I want to see a lot more of that.

"At the moment, he was one of the most exciting players in the world. And if you're doing nothing, just watch Babar Azam, and you won't get bored," he concluded.

Pakistan had won the final of the Tri-Series as they chased down New Zealand's 164 with significant contributions from Mohammad Nawaz and Haider Ali.