Babar Azam becomes topic of discussion ahead of WTC final

Not a single day goes by when Babar Azam doesn't make it to the headlines, and for all the right reasons. Pakistani talisman's admiration across the cricket fraternity is endless, and hardly any conversation skips his massive contributions to the sport at such a tender age. 

Wasim Akram, former Pakistan's left-arm pacer and famously known as 'Sultan of swing’, while sharing the podium with the likes of Ricky Ponting and Ravi Shastri, spoke highly of Babar Azam and claimed that he is potentially the reason why audiences take stadium routes in Pakistan.

"All the four batters from fab four, Babar is now the fifth one. He's the youngest of the lot. If you see the calendar this World Test Championship, he's got 1500 runs, averaging 60, so he is catching up to those legends, those icons,” Akram said.

“This game needs an icon - either Virat Kohli, Joe Root, Williamson, or Babar Azam; maybe I am missing Smith from Australia as well. Everyone is averaging 50+, and they have been playing Test cricket for almost more than ten years. So icons are very, very important. Babar Azam for Pakistan is like Brian Lara was for West Indies. He brings the people to the stadium," he further added.

The 28-year-old is a force to reckon with in the longest format of the game. Averaging at 48.63 with nine centuries and 25 half-centuries in his mokeskin bag, Babar, even with an ample Test career ahead of him, still is counted as one of the best batters Pakistan has ever produced.