Former cricketer Basit Ali has applauded batter Babar Azam for his batting display during the first ODI of the Pakistan tour of Australia 2024 at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Being impressed by his skills in the field Basit stated it was a ‘Top class’ performance. After stepping down as Pakistan white ball skipper, Babar Azam has been criticized for his form and has also been ruled out for the second and third tests of England tests at home.
But he was added to the Pakistan squad for the Australia ODIs and also smashed 37 runs from 44 deliveries at a strike rate of 84.09 in the first game. However, he was dismissed in the 18th over, when Adam Zampa removed him from the crease.
While speaking on the YouTube channel, Basit Ali said that Babar Azam is in good form and added that his performance displayed his hunger for runs.
“Babar Azam looked in good form. His way of playing was top-class. Unfortunately, he played Adam Zampa off the back foot on a ball that he should have played on the front foot.”
“His foot movement and how hungry he was for runs were good signs. It was something that he had been lacking across formats. After many years, I felt Babar Azam did top-class batting,” Basit said.
Batting first, Pakistan’s Rizwan, Naseem Shah and Babar Azam were the run scorers helping the side to propel for 203 runs in the first innings.
Mitchell Starc led the bowling attack picking three wickets in his 10-over spell and conceding 33 runs in the match. Adam Zampa and Pat Cummins also picked two wickets each in their respective spells.
During the run chase, Australia struggled to score runs but managed to clinch a win. Steve Smith (44 runs) and Josh Inglis (49 runs) helped Australia to add some crucial runs on the scoreboard.
In the end, Pat Cummins gave 32 runs to the board and stayed unbeaten along with Mitchell Starc to defeat Pakistan by two wickets in the first ODI match. The second ODI match will be played on November 08 at Adelaide Oval.
