'I Can Bowl A Maiden Over To Babar Azam Even Now', Former Pakistan Pacer Challenges Pakistan Captain Ahead Of ICC World Cup 2023

While Babar Azam is undoubtedly one of the best batters in the world, it seems like Mohammad Asif does not rate him highly. The Pakistan captain has been inviting criticism from several quarters in recent days for his failure to do well in the Asia Cup.

The right-handed batsman began his campaign on a stunning note by playing a 151-run knock against Nepal. But as the tournament progressed, his form dipped especially against tougher opposition. In the Super 4 stage, he scored 17, 10, and 29 against Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka respectively as Pakistan crashed out of the competition.

The few failures, however, do not deny the fact that Babar Azam remains one of the best all-format batsmen in the world. He is currently the number one ranked batsman in ODIs, while his rank in T20Is and Tests are three and four respectively. The Pakistan star has been scoring heavily and consistently for a number of years now.

Mohammad Asif mocks Babar Azam:

Despite Babar Azam’s impressive exploits with the bat in international cricket, Mohammad Asif has said he can still trouble him with his bowling. Widely regarded as one of the best swing bowlers of all time, Mohammad Asif has said that Babar Azam would not be able to score a single run against him.

“I can bowl a maiden over to Babar Azam in T20 cricket even today, he cannot hit the ball if you bowl good deliveries to him,” said Mohammad Asif.

Well, the battle between an in-form Babar Azam and Mohammad Asif in his prime would have been really exhilarating. In the past, several legendary batsmen such as AB de Villiers, Kevin Pietersen, and Hashim Amla have heaped praise on Asif for his swing bowling.

Meanwhile, Babar Azam will soon arrive in India for the ODI World Cup. He and his teammates will be desperate to turn things around after the disastrous campaign in the Asia Cup 2023. Pakistan will open their campaign in the World Cup on October 6 against the Netherlands.