Usman Khawaja, an Australian batsman, has praised former Pakistan captain Babar Azam, calling him “the best batter in all three formats” and drawing an interesting comparison with Australia’s Steve Smith.
Ahead of Pakistan and Australia’s Benaud-Qadir Test series, Khawaja voiced his excitement for the showdown of two batting giants.
“In all three formats, Babar Azam is one of the best batsmen.” Steve Smith is our era’s finest batsman. “Comparing Babar with Smith is almost like comparing Smith with Kohli,” Khawaja remarked.
The coming series promises an exciting battle between Azam and Smith, and Khawaja emphasized the importance of their on-field efforts.
He appreciated Babar Azam’s consistency and ability to score runs both at home and abroad.
“One of the great things about Babar is that he not only scores in Pakistan; he also scores runs overseas.” He’s previously scored a hundred here.”
Khawaja praised the passion of cricket showed by Shaheen Shah Afridi and David Warner during the previous series between Australia and Pakistan, particularly in the Lahore Test.
“The last series between Australia and Pakistan was fantastic.” It went extremely well both on and off the field. Shaheen was bowling brilliantly in the Lahore test, and Warner was batting superbly.”
He underlined the athletic gesture when Warner, after being dismissed, received a pat on the back from Shaheen, illustrating the spirit of cricket.
“That’s what Australians want; you play hard, and when the game is over, you are all good and mates off the field,” Usman Khawaja said.
Recognizing Pakistan’s strength, Khawaja acknowledged their powerful batting lineup as well as their fast-bowling attack.
“Pakistan is one of the world’s best teams. They have strong batting and excellent fast bowlers. Based on previous teams, I believe this is the strongest Pakistan batting lineup to visit the Australia. Babar Azam is one of the world’s top batsmen. Imam ul Haq and Abdullah Shafique have both scored many runs. This challenge has piqued my interest.”
Usman Khawaja expressed his excitement for the challenge provided by Pakistan’s fast bowlers in Australian conditions, mentioning the qualities of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mitchell Starc.
“I believe Shaheen Shah and Mitchell Starc are both very fast bowlers who can bowl up to 145. Starc is capable of swinging the new ball. Shaheen has an excellent wrist. He certainly swings the ball.”
Recognizing the difficulty of facing swinging deliveries in cloudy conditions, Khawaja concluded, “This is what you rebel for, this is what you play for.”
