Babar Azam has evolved to become one of the best batters going around in world cricket at the moment. The Pakistan captain is among the top five ranked batters in all three formats of the game and is quickly climbing the ladder of success. Not just batting, Azam is tasting success in captaincy as well. As the 27-year-old is leading by example, his teammates hold a special place for their captain.
An example of the same was seen when the Pakistan cricket team paid a visit to Ajax Football Club during their stay in the Netherlands. Team’s lead leg-spinner Shadab Khan introduced Babar Azam to the club’s Chief Executive van der Saar and called him Cristiano Messi. “He is Cristiano Messi. He is a mixture of both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi,” said Khan while pointing towards Babar.
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Notably, the national players including Pakistan captain Babar Azam, vice-captain Shadab Khan, Imam-ul-Haq, Haris Rauf, and Abdullah Shafique paid a visit to the Dutch football club headquarters.
The national team visited the practice and High-Performance centre of the football club. Whereas, manager Mansoor presented the CEO of AFC Ajax with a commemorative bat – signed by the Pakistan contingent, which would be kept at the headquarters. The captains of the Pakistani team and Ajax also swapped signed jerseys before posing with them.
Notably, the Men in Green are currently in the Netherlands for a three-match ODI series which the Babar Azam-led team is leading 2-0. While Pakistan beat the Netherlands in the first ODI by 16 runs, they won the second ODI by seven wickets. The third ODI is scheduled to take place on 21 August. Pakistan’s next assignment is the 2022 Asia Cup which begins on 27 August.
They have been placed in Group A alongside India and Qualifier. The Men in Green will open their campaign against arch-rivals India on 28 August. Meanwhile, the team has been dealt with a major blow as star pacer Shaheen Afridi has been ruled out of the tournament with a knee injury.
