Babar Azam Reveals He Tried To Copy AB de Villiers After Watching Him Play

Babar Azam, the captain of Pakistan, opened up about his respect for the illustrious South African batter and revealed that he attempted to emulate his ideal AB de Villiers. Babar is now the only player in world cricket to be listed in the top 10 batters’ rankings across all three formats, making him one of the best batters in recent memory.

Babar talked about his ascent to the top and described how he imitated the former South Africa star's playing style in an interview with England’s former captain Nasser Hussain. Without a second thought, he mentioned AB de Villiers as his role model. He said, “To be honest, my role model is AB de Villiers. I love him. 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.”

In the forthcoming three-match Test series against England, Babar will serve as the team's captain for Pakistan. The talented batter welcomed the English team and gave the players his assurance that they would cherish Pakistan's hospitality.

Between 2004 and 2018, de Villiers played for South Africa and established himself as one of the game's most ruthless batters. The legendry South African batsman, who was fondly known as Mr. 360 because of his amazing ability to hit the ball around the entire ground, finished both his Test and ODI campaigns with a 50+ average. In November 2021, he declared his retirement from all kinds of cricket. He became incredibly well-known all around the world thanks to his ability to play unusual shots across the ground.

Meanwhile, among the current class of players, Babar Azam is regarded as one of the best batters. According to the ICC Rankings, the Pakistani skipper ranks in the top five across all three forms (3rd in Tests, 1st in ODIs, and 4th in T20Is). Babar also claims that his team is ready for anything Brendon McCullum's team throws at them as England makes their first trip back to Pakistan since 2005.

Babar believes that the minute he started to trust himself, he started to develop as a player. Babar, although one of the best players in the world of cricket, had to work through many struggles to get to where he is.