Former West Indies great Sir Vivian Richards has lavished huge praise on Pakistan's star batter and captain Babar Azam. Richards, who is a mentor for Pakistan Super League team Quetta Gladiators, compared Babar with legendary boxer Muhammad Ali during an interview with Cricket Pakistan. Babar Azam captained Pakistan to the semi-final of the ICC T20 World Cup last year and has been a run machine in international cricket for his side. He though has had a tough time in the ongoing PSL season as his team Karachi Kings have lost 8 matches in a row.
"Babar reminds me of Muhammad Ali. He is that classy sort of a boxer, he doesn't want to knock you out too quickly. But you know when the match is over, you will be bruised because Babar never stops jabbing you. He's a class act," Richards said.
The former West Indian great also explained why young batters should look at Babar for inspiration.
"Any young players looking to take inspiration from players, take some from Babar because he doesn't try and hit every ball for six. Instead, he is all about finding gaps. Babar is one of the best in achieving this."
Babar Azam's next assignment while leading Pakistan will be the much-hyped home series against Australia next month.