(Credit PCB)
Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has confidently forecasted a remarkable achievement for Babar Azam as the two-Test series against Bangladesh begins on August 21 in Rawalpindi. Ali anticipates that Azam will score five centuries within the next five months, now that the burden of captaincy in Test cricket has been taken off him, with Shan Masood now at the helm.
Basit Ali forecasts that Babar Azam will score five centuries in the next five months.
He believes Azam is poised to surpass modern legends like Kane Williamson and Joe Root in Test cricket. Basit suggested that with the captaincy pressure lifted, Azam should concentrate exclusively on his batting, potentially achieving greater heights than he could while leading the Pakistan team.
This advice comes as Azam’s performances are under scrutiny, with his last century being against Nepal in the Asia Cup 2023 and recent struggles in the T20 World Cup 2024.
Basit Ali said on his YouTube channel: “Babar Azam will score five centuries in the coming five months. Babar has the best chance to leave the top batters behind, whether it is Kane Williamson or Joe Root. It is a very easy chance. However, now that the pressure of captaincy is off from him, he should forget about the captaincy. He should remove the thought of captaincy from his mind and just focus on scoring runs.”
Babar should start skipping ropes: Basit
The former Pakistan selector has proposed that Azam could enhance his batting by modifying his stance. Ali emphasized that the right-handed batsman should narrow his wide stance to boost performance and recommended looking to Indian star Virat Kohli for inspiration.
Ali signed off by saying, “Babar Azam still has seven to eight days. He should start skipping ropes. I am giving him this advice, which was given to me by Asian Bradman, Zaheer Abbas. It helps in foot movement. Also, Babar needs to shorten his stance by a few inches. If he does these things, he will leave the top batters behind in five months. If you want to see someone’s stance, look at Virat Kohli. Both of them have the same height.”
Previously, Basit Ali made a bold remark regarding the comparisons between Olympic gold medalist Arshad Nadeem and Babar Azam. The former Pakistan cricketer asserted that Babar Azam cannot be compared to Nadeem, whose remarkable achievements at the 2024 Olympics will be celebrated for years to come.
