It was a day to remember for Babar Azam. The fluent Pakistani batsman not only led his side to a convincing with over New Zealand at the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup on Wednesday but also became the second fastest to reach the 3000-run make in ODIs, only behind South Africa’s Hashim Amla.
The right-handed batsman scored a measured 101 off 127 balls as the Pakistanis slowly but steadily reached the required runs. The chase was built around Azam, as he and Mohammad Hafeez picked the Kiwi bowlers first. Thereafter, Harris Sohail joined the 24-year-old in the middle and the two ensured that they were no more hiccups in their chase.
The Pakistan batting coach Grant Flower was very much impressed with what he saw in Birmingham on Wednesday. “He is very special. I believe he is going to be one of the best that Pakistan have ever produced. He's really hungry, is fit and still very young,” said Flower.
“I think he'll have a really good career if he keeps his feet on the ground, which I think he will. He's got Virat's hunger. I think he could be at some point in the future.”
Never has anyone doubted the appetite and the hunger that Azam carries while walking on to the field, but Flower said that the youngster will have to ensure that he works hard to hone his skills. “He's definitely got that hunger, so if you practice as hard as he does and you have his skills, I can't see why he can't get to the top.
“He's had flu over the last couple of days. Tuesday was the first time I've not seen him hit any balls the day before a match. Confidence-wise, this is definitely his best one (century).”
What impressed Flower the most was how Azam adapted to the changing nature of the pitch and the bowlers to find the openings and score big. “I’ve seen him get quite a few tons on pretty flat wickets, but this was a tough wicket — it was turning. (Lockie) Ferguson was bowling fast and there was a lot of pressure because of the context of the tournament,” said the former Zimbabwean.
Feature image courtesy: Twitter/ @TheRealPCB
