Former Pakistan captain Younis Khan believes it is at least five years too early to compare Virat Kohli and Babar Azam as the Indian skipper has proven himself in "every kind of situation" while the latter has not. Younis believes the young Babar still has a long way to go.
A haul of eight hundred and 17 fifties during the calendar year was Babar's best of his career to date.
Pakistan's T20 captain, Salman Ali Agha, remains optimistic despite his team's 1-4 series loss to New Zealand, believing the new faces tried out in the matches will eventually come through.
The run-up to the marquee event has been chaotic to say the least with change in captaincy, shuffling of the top-order and players coming out of retirement.
K L Rahul blazed his way to a century against Gujarat Titans in Delhi on Sunday, etching his name in the record books despite his team's 10-wicket defeat.
Babar Azam stood firm amid a batting collapse to compile his seventh Test hundred
Pakistan collapsed from 362-5 to 378 all out as Muthusamy finished with Test best figures of 6-117.
Under the shimmering floodlights and in front of a roaring partisan crowd, Virat Kohli unleashed his latest masterclass, blasting a 42-ball 70 to guide Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to a sensational 11-run win over Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
IMAGES from the T20 World Cup match played between Pakistan and Ireland in Lauderhill, USA on Sunday.
Imam was in a hurry to reach his ton and, attacking the bowling, got an inside edge to Senuran Muthusamy's left-arm spin and was snagged at short leg by Tony de Zorzi's sharp catch.
Focus firmly on match, India-Pakistan clash will be interesting: Kotak
Babar's injury came a day after top-order batsman Imam-ul-Haq fractured his left thumb, also during a practice session.
If rain leads to a shortened game, Babar and his boys are ready.
'The Indian top order should observe Babar and Kane to understand how to handle pacers when the ball is moving around. Both of them possess exceptional skills in playing late.'
Babar Azam announced that he will be stepping down as the white-ball captain of the Pakistan cricket team, wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan is likely to take his place
Noman collected a 10-wicket haul during Pakistan's 93-run triumph over South Africa in Lahore recently and moved up four places.
In the longest format of the game, Babar is ranked fifth in the world, behind Australia's Marnus Labuschagne and the 'Big Four' of India's Virat Kohli, England's Joe Root, Australia's Steve Smith and New Zealand's Kane Williamson.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has delayed the announcement of its World Cup squad until late May due to fitness and performance issues with some players.
Tournament co-hosts India will be out to defend their Twenty20 World Cup title. The 10th edition of the 20-overs global showpiece event will run from February 7 to March 8.
While Kohli has slipped to 10th on the ICC rankings, the Indian great continues to hold a remarkable Test batting record. He has scored 27 Test centuries and 28 half-centuries and currently has a Test batting average of just under 50.
Nasser Hussain hailed Pakistan's debutant batter Kamran Ghulam for his century during the second Test against Three Lions at Multa
Pakistan's batting mainstay Babar Azam knows he might be a bit rusty after the extended break from competitive cricket during the coronavirus shutdown but he is confident his strong basics will help him quickly get back up to speed. The elegant right-hander has been cooling his heels at home since playing a Pakistan Super League match last month as professional cricket remains suspended due to the pandemic.
Pakistan left-handed batter Fawad Alam and left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Afridi have achieved career-best positions in the ICC Men's Test Player Rankings after helping Pakistan win the second Test against the West Indies in Kingston to draw their two-match ICC World Test Championship series 1-1.
Tournament co-hosts India will be out to defend their Twenty20 World Cup title in familiar home conditions next month.
Babar Azam has led Pakistan team well in the ongoing T20 World Cup and doesn't need to do anything differently in the semi-final against Australia on Thursday, PCB chairman and former skipper Ramiz Raja said on the eve of the game.
Pakistan to field unchanged XI against India in Asia Cup
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam said the massive 238-run win over Nepal in the Asia Cup opener will give his side confidence.
Babar also made it clear he had no issues with the interim chief selector Shahid Afridi on selection of players and said he and the head coach were giving their input and outlining their plans to the selectors regularly and in meetings.
Babar Azam said that the partnership between Mohammed Rizwan and Mohammad Nawaz was the turning point of the match
Pakistan batsman Babar Azam's sparkling form has earned him comparisons with Virat Kohli but the elegant right-hander says he has a long way to go before he can be considered the Indian skipper's equal. Both top-order batsmen score freely and play the cover drive particularly well. Babar averages above 45 in Tests and 50-plus in both One-Day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals, putting him in the top five of all three formats.
Saim Ayub and Khurram Shahzad received their debut call-ups to Pakistan's squad for the three-match Test series against Australia.
Former cricketer Basit Ali disclosed that Gary Kirsten was displeased with Mohammad Rizwan's appointment as Pakistan's white-ball captain
The kitty has become popular with viewers and has gone viral with one particular cheeky comment from Lahori Guy who tweeted: 'Black Cat contributed more in Karachi Stadium than Babar Azam.'
Babar capitalised on an early reprieve to score a career-best 143 not out when bad light forced early stumps with Pakistan 109 ahead with seven wickets remaining.
Shinwari rattled the top order as he scalped three of the opening five wickets.
The 53-year-old said he had immense respect for some of the Indian players of his generation but never showed it on the field.
Former Pakistan captain blamed frequent changes in the team's management, coaches, and players for the chaotic situation.
India vice-captain Shubman Gill dethroned Pakistan's Babar Azam from the No. 1 spot in the ICC ODI Rankings for batters on the back of his strong showing against England in the recent home series.
India's biggest challenge could come from an unexpected source -- Pakistan's mystery spinner Usman Tariq.
Pakistan mentor Matthew Hayden is backing struggling captain Babar Azam to produce something special in the knockout stages of the Twenty20 World Cup, starting in Wednesday's semi-final against New Zealand.
