Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir has picked Pakistan captain Babar Azam as the standout batsman at the upcoming Cricket World Cup in India. Babar was in good form with the bat in 2023, hitting eight 50+ scores in 15 innings. However, the 29-year-old had a sub-par performance with the bat in the Asia Cup as Pakistan failed to reach the final. When asked to pick one batsman he will keep a close eye on during the Cricket World Cup, Gambhir chose Babar ahead of the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and David Warner.
“I choose Babar Azam. I think he has the quality to set the Cricket World Cup on fire. I have seen many batsmen who have a lot of extra time while batting. You definitely have Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, David Warne , Joe Root and Kane Williamson, but Babar Azam has different qualities,” Gambhir told Star Sports.
Babar has been under the scanner for his captaincy since Pakistan’s untimely exit from the Asia Cup.
Gambhir had also criticized Babar for what he perceived as an under-par captaincy, pointing out perceived shortcomings in Babar’s field placements.
“A very ordinary captaincy for me too. There was a four-hit in Zaman Khan’s mid-off and there was another four-hit in Shaheen Shah Afridi’s mid-on and both deliveries were slower,” Gambhir had said. said.
Earlier this week, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced the squad for the ODI Cricket World Cup 2023. While most of the top names are present, there were a few surprises.
Fast bowler Naseem Shah, who suffered an injury during the recently concluded Asia Cup, is not part of Pakistan’s Cricket World Cup squad. But veteran pacer Hasan Ali has made a comeback into the Cricket World Cup squad.
Pakistan squad for ODI Cricket World Cup 2023: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan (vc), Fakhar Zaman, Imam Ul Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Agha Salman, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Usama Mir, Mohammed Wasim Jr
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