Babar Azam Is The Best Batter In The World At The Moment: Daniel Vettori
Updated - 09 May 2022, 07:17 PM
Former New Zealand cricketer Daniel Vettori has said that Pakistani skipper Babar Azam is the best batter in the world right now. Azam is the captain in all three formats and probably. Vettori stated that while there are some world-class batters in the circuit currently, no one is better than Babar who is performing in all three formats of the game consistently over the past few years.
To note, Babar is currently ranked number one in International Cricket Council’s (ICC) ODI and T20I rankings. In the longest format, the right-handed batter is ranked fifth behind Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Kane Williamson, and Joe Root.
Recently in the home Test series against Australia, which was the first time these two teams met in the five-day format in Pakistan since 1998, Babar was the second-highest run-getter in the ODI series behind Imam-ul-Haq. Babar scored 276 runs at an outstanding average of 138 in the three matches. He also hit his highest Test score of 196 as well, though Pakistan lost the Test series 1-0.
The world number one ODI and T20I batter followed it up by scoring two centuries and one half-century in the three-match ODI series. His magnificent performances earned him the player of the series award as he led his side to a 2-1 series win.
Right Now, Babar Azam Is The Most In-Form Batter: Daniel Vettori
On a recent Question and Answers session on ESPNCricinfo, Daniel Vettori revealed that Babar’s exceptional performances in the recent series against Australia make him the best batter in the world.
“The different formats of the game make it tough to say overall, but right now, Babar Azam is the most in-form batter on the back of his series against Australia,” Vettori told ESPNCricinfo.
Babar is the only batter currently in the world to be ranked in the top 10 in all three formats and has been amazing over the past few years. He has been brilliant for the Men in Green in all three formats.
Thus far, Babar has played for Pakistan in 40 Tests, 86 ODIs, and 74 T20Is and has amassed a total of 9798 at an excellent average of almost 49. The 27-year-old has already stroked 65 fifties and 23 hundred across all three formats. Babar has never crossed the 200-run mark so far, but his highest score is 196.
