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'Look at where Smith, Warner have been...': Ricky Ponting delivers 'scary' verdict on Babar Azam
Babar Azam may have been named the ICC Men's Cricket of the Year, but former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting says the Pakistan star still has room to improve.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam was named the ICC men's cricketer of the year on Thursday, having scored nearly 2,600 international runs in all formats of the game. Babar also led Pakistan to two finals last year, at the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup; he also won his second straight ODI men's award — the first to receive consecutive awards since Virat Kohli in 2017-18. Babar led Pakistan to victories in all three of their ODI series last year, and scored fifty or more in eight of the nine matches.
However, former Australia captain and batting great Ricky Ponting believes that Babar is yet to hit his peak in international cricket. Ponting stated that most batters enjoy their prime in early thirties; Babar is 28.
“He’s probably not (at his peak). Most batters come into their prime in the start of their early thirties,” Ponting told ICC.
“You’re sort of working on your game and improving your game right through to a certain point. And that for most guys is it. You look at where Steve Smith and (David) Warner and those guys have been. Steve Smith is probably playing as well as he’s ever played now, along with guys like Kane Williamson as well in their early thirties," Ponting further added.
Ponting further insisted that Babar still has room to improve.
“I think Babar’s still got a little bit of improvement to come, which is a pretty scary thought with what he’s been able to do, pretty much across all three formats over the last three, four years. I love watching him play. I think there’s some room for improvement, let’s hope we see it,” said the former Australia skipper.
Babar Azam struggled throughout the T20 World Cup last year, scoring 124 runs in seven matches at a dismal strike rate of 93.23. However, the Pakistan skipper made a splendid return to run-scoring in the other two formats following the marquee tournament, and even as his captaincy has come under scanner following clean-sweep defeat to England and ODI series loss to New Zealand, Babar's batting prowess remains supreme in the side so far.
