'He is unbelievable' - Simon Doull hails Babar Azam as the best player in the world

Former New Zealand fast bowler Simon Doull reckons that batter Babar Azam is currently the best player in the world. The New Zealander added that Babar is “unbelievable” when it comes to batting in the top order, while he thinks even Joe Root can make a case for that. 

Babar is currently the only batter in Men’s category to be in the top four of ICC rankings in all three formats. Joe Root, on the other hand, is the No. 1 ranked batter in Tests.

“Not too many can argue that Babar Azam is probably the best player in the world at the moment,” said Doull while commentating on Day 3 of the third Test match between England and New Zealand in Headingley, Leeds. “As far as batting in that top order is concerned, he is unbelievable. Joe Root has got an argument for that, but when you talk about the Big-4, at the moment, he is the big one.”

Babar Azam is on the road to greatness: Ian Bishop

Former West Indies fast bowler and active commentator Ian Bishop believes Babar is on the road to greatness. He added that the Pakistan skipper has almost overtaken Indian batter Virat Kohli in ODIs.

“Babar Azam is on the road to greatness. I want to be clear when I say ‘on the road to…’, in the white-ball cricket at least, and certainly in fifty overs,” Bishop told Cricwick.

“I don’t use the term ‘great’ loosely. It has to be a bigger sample size to bestow greatness on a player, but his average, as we speak now, (is) on the cusp of 60 with 17 ODI hundreds. He has almost overtaken his next-door neighbour, the great Virat Kohli, in terms of the ultimate uber fifty-over batsman,” the West Indian said.

Babar currently stands No. 1 in ODIs and T20Is and No. 4 in Tests, in the ICC rankings. He will be next in action for two Test matches in Sri Lanka, starting on July 16.