Ramiz Raja, former Pakistan cricketer and chief of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), praised Babar Azam following Pakistan’s victory over New Zealand in the fourth ODI against New Zealand on Friday, May 5, at the National Bank Cricket Arena in Karachi. With this victory, Pakistan ascended to the summit of the ODI team rankings for the first time since January 2005, when the ICC formally accepted the rankings.
Babar Azam struck a century to help Pakistan set a target of 335 runs for the opposition.
He scored 107 runs off 117 deliveries, including 10 fours. During the chase, New Zealand was dismissed for 232 runs, giving Pakistan a 4-0 advantage in the five-match series.
Following Pakistan’s fourth ODI victory over New Zealand, Ramiz Raja compared Babar to Australia’s Don Bradman on his YouTube channel. He also stated that the Pakistan captain has statistically become the world’s best white-ball player. In the 50-over format, he also praised the batter’s technique and temperament.
“Babar Azam is of the same caliber as Don Bradman. He has statistically become the greatest player in the world for white-ball cricket. Never before have I witnessed such consistency from a player in such a high-risk format. His technique and temperament form the basis of his skill. “He has no technical problems, regardless of whether he is bowling on a grassy pitch or a pitch like Karachi, where bowlers typically struggle,” Raja said.
As a team, we decided to evaluate our depth chart: Babar
Babar was named Player of the Match for his match-winning performance and described how he constructed his innings. The 28-year-old also emphasized the significance of his team testing their reserves prior to the ODI World Cup in 2023.
“We intended to establish partnerships. Together, Agha and I forged a partnership and resolved to expand it. We believed that 310 was feasible. Shaheen exceeded our expectations. We had collectively decided to evaluate our bench strength. We must plan for upcoming competitions and events. We needed to identify our top 15 or 16 prospects,” Babar explained.