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England batter Zak Crawley has spoken highly of former Pakistan captain Babar Azam and identified him as a significant danger leading up to the upcoming Test series, commencing on 7th October in Multan.
Babar has been under tight scrutiny due to his below-par performances recently, the highlight of which was his dismal run in the two-match home Test series against Bangladesh last month.
He managed a meagre 64 runs in four innings during the Bangladesh series, consequently, crashing out of the top ten list in the ICC Test Batting Rankings.
He last crossed the 50-run mark in red-ball cricket back in December 2022 against New Zealand with a marathon 161-run knock. Since then, he has played 16 innings with a highest score of 39 against Sri Lanka in July 2023.
However, Zak Crawley, during the press conference after England’s practice session in Multan on Friday, stated that Babar Azam is not out of form.
“I would never say that Babar Azam is out of form. The way he plays is beautiful, he is a graceful player,” said Crawley.
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The 26-year-old batter further shared that England’s bowlers have to be at their best to get Babar out in the upcoming series.
“He’s a class act and we have to be at our best to get him out,” he added.
It’s worth noting that Babar Azam on Tuesday, stunned the cricket fraternity when he announced that he was stepping down from the role of Pakistan’s white-ball captain with immediate effect.
In a detailed statement, issued on his social media platforms, the right-handed batter shared he made the decision to focus on his “playing role”.
Meanwhile, Zak Crawley also acknowledged the strength of Pakistan’s batting lineup and emphasized that England would not be underestimating them.
“As a batter myself, I know that form comes and goes, but class never leaves you. That batting line-up of Pakistan is a class batting line-up. We don’t underestimate them,” he said.
“There are guys in there who can take the game away from you. So, we are going to be at our best to get them out and win the series,” he concluded.
READ: England captain Ben Stokes doubtful for first Test against Pakistan
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