Babar Azam has to prove with his temperament that he is Viv Richards: Ramiz Raja

Former cricketer and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ramiz Raja said that Babar Azam has yet to do justice to his potential in Test cricket. The latter was left out of Pakistan's squad for the last two Tests against England earlier this month. This was after Babar had gone through a lean patch in Test cricket, where he couldn't score a half-century in the format in over two years. The hosts went on to win the last two games and take the series 2-1.

In 55 Tests, Babar has scored 3,997 runs at an average of 43.92. In 2023, he finished with an average of 22.66 from five Tests. His average dipped further in 2024 to an abysmal 18.50 from four matches. Raja feels that the former captain has to show that he has potential, like legendary West Indies batter Vivian Richards.

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"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," said Raja on his YouTube channel.

"Ab unko apne temperament se batana hai duniya mei ke woh ek Viv Richards hain (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," he added.

Important white-ball tour of Australia awaits Pakistan and Babar

Pakistan are set to play three ODIs and as many T20Is in Australia next month. This is going to be an important tour for the Men in Green as they are going to be led by their new white-ball captain Mohammad Rizwan.

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This is an important series for Babar as he will look to score a lot of runs against the mighty Australians and it could pave the way for his return to the red-ball arena. The series gets underway on Monday, November 4, in Melbourne with the first ODI.