Shoaib Akhtar names the Pakistani batsman who can be better than Babar Azam

Babar Azam is one of the best batsmen in the world right now. While he arrived at the scene as a white-specialist, he is now also considered among the best Test batsmen in the world. At a time when Pakistan cricket is struggling to produce world-class batsmen, Babar has turned out to be an exception. He is being constantly compared with Virat Kohli, arguably the best in the world and his stats pretty much prove it.

In ODIs, he averages more than 54 while in T20Is, he has an average of more than 50 while in Tests he averages over 45. As far as rankings are concerned, he is in the top five of all three formats which proves how consistent he has been across formats. Since making his debut, he has been the batting mainstay of the Pakistan team.

Last year, he was also named the T20I captain of Pakistan after Sarfaraz Ahmed was sacked. Media reports have suggested that he is also set to take over as the ODI captain later this year. Having proved himself as a batsman, Babar will be keen to show his leadership skills too in the coming days.

‘He’s better than Babar Azam’

While Babar Azam is being considered one of the best in the world right now, former Pakistan pace bowler Shoaib Akhtar believes Pakistan has a batsman who can be better than the former. The legendary cricketer believes that Haider Ali has the potential to be better than Babar Azam. Haider is currently playing for the Peshawar Zalmi in the ongoing season Pakistan Super League (PSL).

In the nine games he has played, Haider has scored 239 runs at an average of 29.87 and a strike-rate of 158.27. Earlier this season, Haider became the youngest player to score a fifty in the PSL. On the other hand, Babar Azam has delivered as per expectations. With 313 runs from 9 games, he is currently the highest run-scorer in the league.

“Don’t forget that Haider Ali is also coming at par with Babar Azam. Haider Ali is from Rawalpindi and people from Rawalpindi are not normal but extraordinary,” Akhtar said in a YouTube video as quoted by Cricket Pakistan. “You will get to know that Haider Ali is at par with Babar Azam or maybe even better than him, but that is something time will tell you.”