Weeks after PCB chief Najam Sethi offered conditional support to Babar Azam’s captaincy, Imran Khan, Pakistan’s legendary captain, has piled on the raves on Babar.
“Our captain [Babar Azam] is an outstanding batsman. I have seen a batsman of such quality after a very long time. I have analysed him in every way, because I analyse batsman through a bowler’s lens. His technique, talent and temperament are all brilliant. It is very rare to find all three of these things in one batsman, but he has them all. He has the potential to go ahead of everyone,” Imran told on Aftab Iqbal’s YouTube channel.
Late last year, too, Imran had spoken about how he was impressed with Babar and had recommended him to be made the captain of Pakistan team.
“I only watched him [Babar] play twice and immediately asked the head of the cricket board, you must make him the captain because he is genuinely world-class. He is exceptional and I haven’t seen a player with such versatility and correct technique, such stroke play and temperament; he could go anywhere from here. Babar as the captain makes a lot of sense because you want your captain to be world-class so that he commands respect,” he had told the Piers Morgan show.
In the chat with Aftab, Imran also rated Michael Holding as the best fast bowler of his era and Ian Chappel as the best captain from that time.
“The most talented bowler, he didn’t play that long, but he was very fast and most talented: Michael Holding,” Imran said. From the current Pakistan team, Imran said he likes the bowling of Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf.
On his You Tube channel, Rashid Latif, former Pakistan captain, welcomed Imran’s statements on Babar.
“”[Imran] Khan sahab has given a very strong statement. There is no match to his cricketing acumen in the whole world. He made predictions about many players in the past and most of them came true. One or two mistakes can happen. But he keeps a keen eye on cricket, so his statement was timely.”
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