"He is the number one in Pakistan" - Basit Ali compares Babar Azam's stardom to that of Imran KhanÂ
Former cricketer Basit Ali recently pointed out how Pakistan's ace batter Babar Azam continues to enjoy tremendous popularity among the masses despite his poor form. He suggested that despite the recent failures, the 29-year-old has the biggest fan following in the country.
Basit highlighted how Babar has been the main talking point for the new channels, which is a testament to his immense popularity. Comparing the Men in Green's white-ball skipper stardom to that of Pakistan's 1992 World Cup-winning captain Imran Khan, here's what the cricketer turned expert said in his latest YouTube video (from 6:24):
"Babar Azam hasn't been scoring runs. However, even if he is walking somewhere, the video of that is everywhere on the television. This is when he is out of form. It's Babar Azam on one side, and all the remaining players on the other side. Every movement of his is on the television.
"He is the number one in Pakistan in terms of fan following. We have seen the same with Imran Khan. When Imran used to come into the ground, everyone would just chant for him. Now look at Babar Azam, the whole of Faisalabad is crazy for him."
It is worth mentioning that Babar has struggled to get going in red-ball cricket lately. The right-handed batter hasn't crossed the 50-run mark in his last 16 Test innings. He scored just 64 runs across four innings in Pakistan's recently concluded two-match home Test series against Bangladesh.
Babar Azam to play for Stallions in Champions One-Day Cup 2024
Babar will next be seen in action during the upcoming Champions One-Day Cup in Pakistan. He has been named in the Stallions' squad for the domestic tournament.
Notably, despite being Pakistan's limited-overs skipper, Babar was not appointed as the captain of the Stallions. Keeper-batter Mohammad Haris will be at the helm of the team, with veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik serving as the mentor.
The Champions One-Day Cup will be played in Faisalabad from Thursday, September 12. Stallions will open their campaign with a clash against Lions on Friday, September 13.