\u2018Global superstars\u2019
\nAustralian cricket great says presence of Pakistani talent \u201cis so important to our game because they\u2019re such great players\u201d
\n Sydney
\nAustralian cricket great Aaron Finch has heaped high praise on Babar Azam, calling the former Pakistan captain one of the toughest batters he ever faced, as he lauded the number of Pakistani superstars elevating the Big Bash League (BBL) this season.
\nFinch, speaking on a recent podcast hosted by BBL, said Babar\u2019s arrival at Sydney Thunder has injected major excitement into the tournament. Reflecting on their on-field battles, the former Australian captain described Babar as a generational talent.
\n\u201cYou\u2019ve got one of the best players that I\u2019ve ever played against. I played against Babar in Pakistan, and it was almost impossible to get him out,\u201d Finch recalled. \u201cI know he\u2019s been a little bit more quiet in the last 18 months, but he\u2019s a world-beater at his very best.\u201d
\nBabar stands as the headline name among the seven Pakistani players in this year\u2019s BBL, with the Thunder securing him ahead of the season. The star batter has expressed his own eagerness about playing in Australia, saying he looks forward to learning from and sharing the field with top players in the league.
\nFinch went on to praise the broader Pakistani contingent, calling them global assets who add immense value to Australian cricket.
\n\u201cThey\u2019re not just Pakistan players, they\u2019re Pakistan superstars, they\u2019re global superstars. That\u2019s so important to our game because they\u2019re such great players,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cI think that knowledge-sharing is crucial, and that\u2019s why having internationals in our competition matters.\u201d
\nAmong those internationals, Finch highlighted Mohammad Rizwan for his unique energy behind the stumps. The former skipper joked affectionately, \u201cMohammad Rizwan never shuts up behind the stumps, but seriously talented.\u201d
\nFinch revealed that even Australia\u2019s rising star Jake Fraser-McGurk has already learned from Rizwan within days of joining him. \u201cHe was talking about what he\u2019s learned off Rizwan already in the couple of days that he\u2019s been here,\u201d Finch noted, emphasising how valuable such exposure is for developing players.
\nRizwan is joined in the BBL by a strong Pakistani lineup that includes Shaheen Shah Afridi (Brisbane Heat), Haris Rauf (Melbourne Stars), Shadab Khan (Sydney Thunder), Hasan Ali (Adelaide Strikers), and Usama Mir (Melbourne Renegades).
\nFinch said the presence of these seasoned internationals is \u201cincredible\u201d not just for the competition\u2019s quality but for the next generation of Australian cricketers absorbing lessons from them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u2018Global superstars\u2019 Australian cricket great says presence of Pakistani talent \u201cis so important to our game because they\u2019re such great players\u201d Sydney Australian cricket great Aaron Finch has heaped high praise on Babar Azam, calling the former Pakistan captain one of the toughest batters he ever faced, as he lauded the number of Pakistani superstars […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":519757,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-519744","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n