Cape Town – AB de Villiers’ legacy is unquestionable and he has no doubt inspired many cricketers in the world, but none more so than Pakistan captain Babar Azam.
The 28-year-old is arguably the most dominant all-format batter in the world at the moment, especially considered he is ranked No 1 in ODI’s, No 3 in Tests and No 4 in T20Is.
Babar Azam, though, credits former Proteas captain De Villiers for inspiring him during his early years to reach for these heights.
“To be honest, my role model is AB de Villiers. I love him,” he told former England captain and Sky Sports pundit Nasser Hussain in an interview ahead of the first Test match against England starting on Friday.
“The way he has played, the way he played his shots. I saw him on the TV and the very next day, I tried his shots in the nets. I tried to copy AB de Villiers, tried to look and play like him. He is my idol,” Babar Azam said.
De Villiers recently came to Babar Azam’s support during the early stages of the T20 Cup when Pakistan were struggling. Pakistan eventually recovered to reach their third T20 Cup final before losing to champions England at the MCG.
“Babar Azam is an amazing player. I watched him play for the first time, saying this boy can play. He is a fantastic addition to Pakistan’s success, and it’s great to see young generations taking ownership,” De Villiers said on his YouTube channel.
The Pakistani skipper also paid tribute to another South African Mickey Arthur for the role he played his development as an international batter. Arthur was head coach of Pakistan from May 2016 until after the 2019 Cup in the United Kingdom.
“I think when I was playing U19s in Australia. After that, I decided I am playing in Pakistan and when I came to a Pakistani team I started well,” said Babar.
“After one year, a year and a half, I struggled then my starting wasn’t good enough for Pakistan. Then I decided, ‘no, I am good enough to play for Pakistan’ and I tried my level best to perform.
“In that time, [former Pakistan coach] Mickey Arthur supported me a lot, he gave me a chance, he just asked me to play and not think any negative thoughts.”
Pakistan are set to host England in a Test series on home soil for the first time in 17 years on Thursday in Rawalpindi.
@ZaahierAdams
