New Zealand captain Kane Williamson expressed his support for Babar Azam, describing him as a "world-class player" and emphasizing his belief that Babar will regain his form. 

In a press conference on Thursday, Williamson acknowledged the diverse range of emotions in cricket and highlighted the constant pursuit of improvement. Despite Babar's recent challenges, Williamson remains confident in his abilities and recognizes him as a significant threat to New Zealand in the upcoming five-match T20I series set to commence on January 12 in Auckland.

 “He [Babar] is a world class player. Cricket comes with a full range of feeling and emotions and part of it is navigating each day and looking to improve. He is one of the best players in the world and I am sure he will be doing that and that doesn’t change overnight. We know he is a big threat,” Williamson said.

Regarding Pakistan's recent 3-0 test series loss to Australia, Williamson downplayed the significance of the red-ball form, emphasizing that Pakistan consistently poses a formidable threat in T20 cricket. 

"Pakistan is always a fantastic opportunity. They are consistently one of the best teams in the world and in all conditions, so to have them to have them here in our backyard and having another contest is great," he said.

Reflecting on the familiarity between the two teams, Williamson mentioned their previous encounters, including a tri-series before the last World Cup where Pakistan emerged victorious. 

"We played a tri-series series prior to the last World Cup. They won that and they obviously went a long way in that competition as well and so we know how strong they are as a team," he concluded.