Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir praised Pakistan’s captain’s batting ability, saying he might light up the World Cup.
When asked to name one batsman to watch out for in the 2018 World Cup, the former Indian opener named Pakistani skipper, according to an Indian TV broadcaster.
Famous guests included India’s Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Australia’s David Warner and Steve Smith, New Zealand’s Kane Williamson, and England’s Joe Root. Gambhir, on the other hand, preferred Babar Azam.
“Babar Azam possesses all the qualities to set this World Cup on fire,” remarked the former Indian player.
“I haven’t seen many players with so much free time.” Yes, I feel we have greats like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, David Warner, Kane Williamson, and Joe Root, but Babar Azam is on another level.”
According to the International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings, Pakistan’s skipper Babar Azam is the top-ranked one-day international (ODI) batsman in the world.
Azam has the highest rating of 857. Meanwhile, the Green Shirts’ captain is currently placed fourth in Tests, with an 829 rating.
For the past 900 days, the 28-year-old has been ranked as the number one ODI hitter.
Pakistan will face India in the World Cup’s most anticipated encounter on October 14 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmadabad in front of 132,000 spectators.
Pakistan squad for ICC World Cup 2023
Babar Azam (c), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, M Wasim Jnr, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha.
Travelling reserves: Mohammad Haris, Abrar Ahmed, Zaman Khan
Schedule of Pakistan’s warm-up matches
September 29 — vs New Zealand in Hyderabad
October 3 — vs Australia in Hyderabad
Here is Pakistan’s schedule for the ICC World Cup 2023:
October 6 — vs Netherlands in Hyderabad
October 10 — vs Sri Lanka in Hyderabad
October 14 — vs India in Ahmedabad
October 20 — vs Australia in Bengaluru
October 23 — vs Afghanistan in Chennai
October 27 — vs South Africa in Chennai
October 31 — vs Bangladesh in Kolkata
November 4 — vs New Zealand Bengaluru (Day match)
November 11 — vs England in Kolkata
The day matches which will start at 10:00am Pakistan Standard Time (PST) while all other matches will be day-night fixtures starting at 01:30pm (PST).
