PAK vs SL: Matthew Hayden Lauds Babar Azam's Stats While Comparing Him With Virat Kohli

Former Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden praised Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam, describing him as a champion cricketer. Matthew Hayden highlighted that Babar Azam has a better record than ace Indian batter Virat Kohli at this stage in the 50-over format.

Babar Azam is currently leading the Pakistan team in the Asia Cup 2023. The right-handed batter smashed 151 runs against Nepal in the first match of the tournament. However, he registered low scores in his next two innings against Bangladesh and India, respectively.

Babar Azam Is A Champion – Matthew Hayden

During an interaction on the Star Sports show Game Plan, Matthew Hayden wanted Babar Azam to deliver in the must-win encounter against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup.

“Babar Azam is a champion. He comes back from these things time and time again because that’s what champions do. When you think about the statistical comparison at the same stage, Virat Kohli vs Babar Azam, Babar Azam is actually leading that shoot-out match,” Hayden said.

“So that’s how significant he is to the Pakistani team lineup and I am sure that he can do it in this shoot-out against Sri Lanka. Babar is central not only because he is the captain but he is absolutely central in terms of the talent of that batting unit,” he added.

The Babar Azam-led team will take on the Dasun Shanaka-led team in their final Super Four match at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Thursday, September 14. They need to win the match to secure their berth in the final against India.

Babar Azam Carries The Weight – Matthew Hayden

The cricketer-turned-commentator emphasized that Pakistan’s batting heavily relies on Babar Azam’s performances, and his failures significantly impact the team’s fortunes.

“We all understand that Pakistan cricket over the years and particularly this side is very top-heavy and Babar carries the weight of that always. So when his performances aren’t quite on song, it matters.”

The Men in Green are plagued by injuries following the match against India. Agha Salman, Haris Rauf, and Naseem Shah have been ruled out of the match against Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, Fakhar Zaman and Faheem Ashraf have been dropped from the starting XI.

Pakistan Playing XI: Mohammad Haris, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Zaman Khan

Also read: PAK vs SL: “Babar Azam Should Not Just Follow A Straight Line And Decide Against Making Changes In The Line-Up” – Ramiz Raja