LAHORE-Pakistan’s all-rounder Imad Wasim has lauded Babar Azam, terming the skipper ‘the world’s best player’ after he played an outstanding knock to score a century in the second T20I against New Zealand on Saturday.
Babar Azam’s 101 off 58 balls, including 11 fours and three sixes, with a strike rate of 174.13, helped Pakistan take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. Wasim was impressed by Azam’s performance and said he is currently the best player in the world.
During a post-match chat, Imad Wasim said, “I have seen many innings, but this was at the top of the line, especially the way he carried on after we lost three wickets. The wicket was holding as well, but the way he played was simply brilliant. There’s no doubt that he’s the best player in the world.”
Pakistan won the second T20I by 38 runs, thanks to Babar Azam’s phenomenal batting and pacer Haris Rauf’s four-wicket haul. The Pakistan skipper, who is now the joint most successful T20I captain with 42 wins, alongside England’s Eoin Morgan and Afghanistan’s Asghar Afghan, expressed his delight at his performance and credited his improvement to his dedication to playing according to the situation.
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“We were comfortable in the first 10 overs, but I had to hold back a bit after we lost back-to-back wickets. However, after playing one good over, we got the momentum, and I felt we could score 190 or even 200 from there onward,” said Babar Azam, without mentioning any specific over. “We have experienced and exciting young bowlers who have given us back-to-back wins.”
New Zealand was unable to chase down Pakistan’s massive target of 193 runs and ended at 154-7 in 20 overs, thanks to Haris Rauf’s consecutive four-for in two matches. Pakistan will face New Zealand again at the same venue on April 17 before the final two matches in Rawalpindi on April 20 and 24.