Babar Azam sees similarities in this Pakistan cricketer to Rahul Dravid and Kane Williamson

Pakistan skipper, Babar Azam heaped praise on the 22-year-old Pakistan cricketer, named Abdullah Shafique. He drew similarities between him and two legendary batters, namely Kane Williamson and Rahul Dravid. Babar Azam sees shades of both these legends in the Pakistan youngster.

Advertisment

Shafique impressed one and all with his batting exploits in the recent Test series against Australia. He was the second-highest run-getter in the series, amassing 397 runs in 3 matches at an average of 79.40. Overall, he has played 5 Tests and has scored 547 runs at an average of 68.4. He has played only 5 games but has managed to impress the skipper.

"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" Babar told Dawn News. "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."

Meanwhile, Pakistan recently announced its squad for the upcoming four-match ODI series against West Indies at home. Skipper, Babar Azam is looking forward to the series and expressed confidence in playing the best team against the Caribbean side.

Advertisment

"They 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 <50-over> 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," he added.

27-year-old Babar Azam currently lead the Pakistan Cricket Team in all formats. He has 4261 and 2851 runs in 86 ODIs and 40 Tests respectively.