Pakistan captain Shan Masood has backed Babar Azam to shine in the two match Test series against Bangladesh after the batter’s strong form in the Pakistan Super League.
Pakistan start the series on Friday at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka. The second Test will be played in Sylhet.
Before the opening match, Shan said Babar’s recent run scoring has given Pakistan a big boost.
“I think he’s one of Pakistan’s best players, best batsmen ever produced. Having him in the runs is always good.”
Shan believes Babar’s form in white ball cricket can help him return strongly in Tests.
“A batsman always gets runs. Whenever he gets runs, he always gets that confidence. For us, it’s a very good sign that he’s coming with a lot of runs in his account. We’re looking forward to Babar sort of replicating those performances that he had in the PSL in these Test matches also.”
Babar has not scored a Test hundred since 2022, but Shan made it clear that Pakistan are looking at his current touch, not old numbers.
“What matters is the present. In the present moment, he’s coming back from quite a lot of runs in his account.”
Shan also said Babar’s quality across formats makes him one of the world’s top players.
“He’s the sort of player, he’s an all format player. He plays all formats equally well for Pakistan, he has done that for years. He’s one of the best players in the world.”
Pakistan will face a Bangladesh side full of confidence after their last Test series win over Pakistan in 2024.
Shan praised Bangladesh’s bowling attack and said his team knows the challenge ahead.
“It’s a very impressive attack. They won the series in Rawalpindi. It’s a very well balanced attack. They’ve got left arm pacers, right arm pacers, pace and skill. It’s probably the best that I’ve seen.”
Bangladesh’s first Test of the year now brings extra focus on Babar, whose bat could play a huge role in Pakistan’s hopes.
With form on his side and full backing from his captain, Babar heads into Dhaka carrying both pressure and promise.
