Akram rates this cricketer alongside Kohli, Warner and Root

Legendary pacer Wasim Akram is all praise for Pakistani skipper Babar Azam, whom he rates among the ‘Fab Four’ alongside Virat Kohli, David Warner and Joe Root. In fact, Akram thinks Babar is as good as Kohli if not better.

Akram said the 21st century belongs to the Lahore-born cricketer, who is the only batter to feature in the top 10 of the ICC rankings in all three formats of the game at present.

The 55-year-old former Pakistan captain went on to compare Babar with other legends of Pakistani cricket. Speaking to Sport360, Akram said, “If you talk about Pakistan batting, you start with Zaheer Abbas, Javed Miandad, Saleem Malik, Inzamam-Ul-Haq, Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousaf and then now it’s Babar Azam. The 21st century belongs to Babar Azam, he’s the man. And he’s still got plenty in him.”

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“I’ve seen him since he was a captain in 2010. He came through the proper ranks, I have worked with him in Karachi Kings as well from last three years,” Akram said, recalling his association with Babar during his time at Karachi Kings as mentor in 2017.

Akram said he respects Babar for his work ethic and consistency with the bat. “I love his work ethic; he is focused and he’s never satisfied with his performance and that’s a sign of a good leader. I knew at the time, with this boy, with his work ethic, with his talent, he will definitely perform and be consistent,” Akram added.

Babar recently led Pakistan to the semifinals of 2021 T20 World Cup in Dubai, followed by a 3-0 series win over West Indies in the 20-over format.