Karachi, May 25:
Pakistan head coach and chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq believes Babar Azam is destined to be a world class player and is very close to being in the same league as India skipper Virat Kohli and Australia’s Steve Smith.
“I don’t like comparisons but Babar is currently very close to being in the same class as Virat Kohli, Steve Smith or Joe Root,” Misbah said in an interview to Youtube channel, Cricket Baaz.
“He believes in the work ethic that if you want to better Kohli you have to work harder than him at your skills, fitness and game awareness.”
The 25-year-old, who was named captain of the Pakistan T20 team ahead of the Australia series in October last year, was recently handed the reins of ODI team as well.
“Making him the T20 captain was a tester. We wanted to see how he will respond to this challenge. All of us agree that he has done a very good job and his biggest plus is that being among the worlds top players he leads by example,” Misbah said.
“If you are a performer like Babar then it becomes easier for you to motivate the rest of the team and get things done.
“Even when I was made captain in 2010 my performances were here and there and I was in and out. But captaincy changed my game and mindset and I became a more hard working and motivated cricketer.”
Misbah said Babar always challenges himself and would get better as a captain with experience.
“He is in a zone of his own. He just doesn’t want to be in the team. He just doesn’t want to play for money. He wants to be the top performer for Pakistan. He is always pitting himself against other top batsmen like Kohli or Smith,” he said.
“He loves challenges in the nets and on the field. He has really matured as a player and in time he will get better as a captain with experience.”
Babar was the leading run-scorer of the T20I series against Australia last year. He also scored 210 runs, which included a hundred, at 52.50 in the Test series against the same opponents. (PTI)
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