Pakistani star batter Babar Azam would be back in action against Australia in the upcoming ODI series starting from 4th November. Babar Azam was reportedly rested for the last 2 Test matches against England after a string of low scores. Babar also relinquished white ball captaincy and now Mohammad Rizwan is named the captain.
Pakistan are the hosts for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and now would be aiming to get their ODI team back on track after a forgettable ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. All eyes though will be on the lethal speedster Shaheen Shah Afridi who hasn’t been able to make an impact and would be tested against a strong Australian batting line up.
There is so much potential in Babar Azam- Ramiz Raja
Ramiz Raja was seen speaking on his You Tube channel and stated that Babar Azam has a lot to achieve in Test cricket. Ramiz Raja pointed out that Babar Azam has temperament as of the legend Viv Richards. Former PCB Chairman was quite optimistic that Babar Azam will rediscover himself.
“I feel Babar has to achieve a lot more in Test cricket. He plays the white-ball format really well, has an average of 50-plus in both the formats (T20I and ODI). There is so much potential in Babar Azam. Now he has to prove to the world with his temperament that he is Viv Richards. Bigger the contest, bigger the innings Richards used to play,” said Ramiz Raja.
“I am just hoping that he (Babar) rediscovers himself after returning from the rest because there are important series coming up,” he added.
Crucial series for Mohammad Rizwan
Mohammad Rizwan, the new ODI skipper will have to make sure that they assert the dominance against Australia. The sudden resignation of Gary Kirsten has raised a lot of eyebrows as Kirsten as quite keen to bring glory back to Pakistani cricket. Kirsten was the head coach for ICC T20 WC 2024 in which Pakistan failed to qualify for the second round after losing against USA & India.
It is assumed that Kirsten resigned because he wasn’t a part of selection panel; even the red ball head coach Jason Gillespie wasn’t happy with this decision and he termed himself as a ‘Match Day Strategist’ which doesn’t sound that good for a coach. Gillespie now is the interim head coach for Australia white ball leg tour and his experience would undoubtedly help Pakistan.
Even though Aussies are without Mitchell Marsh & Travis Head (*rested), the side looks a formidable one with the presence of Smith & Labuschagne who have the knack of playing long and effective knocks. Pat Cummins is set to make a comeback to the ODI side after ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 triumph and this series will also serve as a stepping stone for the skipper ahead of BGT 2024-25.