Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has praised star batter Babar Azam for guiding the team’s younger batters, including Saim Ayub, during the white-ball series against South Africa. Pakistan suffered a 0-2 defeat in the T20I series, however, they bounced back in style and white-washed South Africa in the ODI series. Saim played a key role in Pakistan’s victory and was awarded Player of the Series as he amassed 235 runs in three games, including two centuries. He also contributed with the ball, taking two wickets. During an appearance on the ARY News show Sports Room, Basit Ali praised Saim and acknowledged Babar’s role as a mentor to the young teammates.

“It is too early for me to say that he [Babar Azam] reminds me of Javed Miandad after seeing his role in the two games. However, his role in those games was crucial in building the confidence of the Pakistan batters,” Basit said. He praised the shot selection of Pakistan’s batters throughout the ODI series, which demonstrated their confidence in their abilities. The former batter further expressed hope that if the players continued to perform like this, Pakistan would definitely qualify for the final four in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

“I hope that players remain confident like this. If so, Pakistan will easily qualify for the semi-final for Champions Trophy 2025,” he added. Meanwhile, he lauded the role of Pakistan’s interim coach Aqib Javed for giving ample chances to the batters including Saim Ayub to showcase their skills. “He [Aqib Javed] took a decision which translated into the brilliant performance of our player,” he concluded.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)