"He is a big threat" - Kane Williamson optimistic of Babar Azam returning to form ahead of T20I series

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson reckons that a recent run of poor form doesn't make ace Pakistan batter Babar Azam a bad player. Ahead of the five-match T20I series, Williamson labeled Babar as a big threat and backed him to rediscover his best touch.

The last 12-18 months have seen a dip in Babar's form across formats. He entered the 2023 World Cup as the No.1-ranked ODI batter but managed only 320 runs. Babar also scored only 126 runs in the recent three-match Test series against Australia, averaging a mere 21.

At a presser on Thursday, Williamson suggested that the form of any player can keep fluctuating, but reckons Babar is a world-class player.

"He [Babar] is a world class player. Cricket comes with a full range of feeling and emotions and part of it is navigating each day and looking to improve. He is one of the best players in the world and I am sure he will be doing that and that doesn’t change overnight. We know he is a big threat," Williamson stated.

Babar, who resigned as the captain across formats after the 2023 ODI World Cup, will look to regain his form.

"They are consistently one of the best teams in the world" - Kane Williamson

Williamson further reflected that Pakistan always pose a stern challenge to the Kiwis and remembered how the Men in Green emerged victorious in the tri-series before the 2022 T20 World Cup.

"Pakistan is always a fantastic opportunity. They are consistently one of the best teams in the world and in all conditions, so to have them to have them here in our backyard and having another contest is great. We played a tri-series series prior to the last World Cup. They won that and they obviously went a long way in that competition as well and so we know how strong they are as a team," Williamson added.

The first of the five T20Is will take place in Auckland on Friday.