Babar Azam rates this Pakistani batter in Rahul Dravid’s league
Babar Azam (Image Source: Twitter)
Rahul Dravid is considered one of the greatest ever to have graced the game of cricket. He was famous for his solid technique and never-ending patience. On the other hand, Kane Williamson is considered one of the modern greats and is often included in the ‘Fav Five’ list of batters dominating the game at present. Babar Azam, the current captain of Pakistan’s men’s cricket team, has recently given a big comment about one of his teammates that he sees the shadows of both Dravid and Williamson in him.
The player in the discussion is the 20-year-old Abdullah Shafique. The batter very recently featured in the Test Series against Australia. He scored a century and two fifties and ended the series with an aggregate total of 547 runs. The Pakistani skipper is mighty impressed by what he has seen of Shafique.
The youngster made his debut in November last year against Bangladesh at Chattogram. He scored fifties in both innings (52 and 72) in his debut match. He followed it up with scores of 81, 96, and an unbeaten 136 across three Tests against Australia in Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi.
During a conversation with Dawn News, Babar said- “I personally watch and definitely enjoy Abdullah’s stylish batting. He plays very clean, his stance and the way he ducks the ball are impressive. Usually, we compare him to Kane Williamson and Rahul Dravid. We call him Dravid. In the presence of Abdullah, the place of opener Shan Masood, another polished batter, may be in doubt but our main aim in selecting an individual is the team’s interest.”
Pakistan has recently announced its squad for the home series against West Indies. The West Indian team will be visiting Pakistan under the leadership of a new captain in Nicholas Pooran. In the same conversation, Babar also spoke about their upcoming assignment.
“They (West Indies) play bold cricket and can upset every team on a given day. Therefore, we will try our best to go for big wins in order to earn maximum points to make Pakistan strong for the 2023 World Cup. Our first priority is our team; we prefer the best side for each series and that is done while announcing the team for the next series,”- Babar added.
