Former Australian cricketer and ex-Surisers Hyderabad (SRH) head coach Tom Moody has weighed in on the Virat Kohli versus Babar Azam debate by showering praise on Pakistan’s next big thing.
Moody, who has been closely associated with Pakistan domestic cricket in the past feels that Azam is keen on becoming into something special as far as his recent performances with the willow are concerned. Speaking in the Pitch Side Experts Podcast, the ex-Australian cricketer tipped Azam to become one of the best batsmen in the coming years.
“He [Babar] has emerged over the last year or so into something that is going to be so special. We talked about how Virat Kohli is so good on the eye as a batsman. If you think Virat Kohli is good to watch, have a look at Babar Azam bat. My gosh, he is something special. I think in the next five to ten years, he will definitely be in your top five [batsmen of the decade] without a question,” Moody was quoted as saying by CricketPakistan.
Talking about his pick as he named top five Test batsmen of the last decade, Moody opined that it will be unfair to put the premier Pakistan with the likes of Kohli, Steve Smith and Kane Williamson. The breakout star of the Pakistani national side raised his stocks in the longest format this year after dominating white-ball cricket with the Green Army.
“Even though he [Babar] has played 26 matches but in half of those matches he was not considered even part of the main batting line-up for Pakistan. He was the after-thought down the order. I think at the moment, it is very hard to justify him at that position given his statistics,” he said.
