Babar Azam names two Pakistan legends he looks up to

Pakistan’s Twenty20 International (T20I) captain Babar Azam has named two legendary cricketers as the ones he looks up to in international cricket.  

In a video released by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Azam said that he has learned a great deal from former Pakistan cricketers Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousaf.

“Pakistan has produced many great players and my favourite among them are Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousaf,” said Azam.

The 25-year-old also heaped praise on the duo’s cricketing credentials.

“This generation of cricketers have learned a lot from Yousaf bhai’s skill and class and Younis bhai’s ‘never give up’ mindset and we will continue to learn from them,” he added.

Azam has been a prolific run-scorer for Pakistan, across all formats, in the recent past. He features in the top five of ICC rankings for batsmen in all formats with first, third and fifth position in T20Is, ODIs and Tests respectively.

The elegant right-hander has been cooling his heels at home since playing a Pakistan Super League match last month as professional cricket remains suspended due to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

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It must be noted that, in October last year, Yousaf also touted Azam as one of the best in the world.

“His [Babar’s] performance is right up there with the best in the world,” Yousaf said in an exclusive interview with Cricket Pakistan. “Right now, he is the best player in Pakistan cricket. There is no one better than him.”

Meanwhile, Younis, in the first half of 2018, had predicted a bright future for Azam.

“I think Babar will be [the next Younis Khan],” said Younis in an interview. “I think he’s extremely stylish and he has the potential. If he plays, and he works on his fitness, then I think he will perform a lot for Pakistan.”