Abdullah Shafique will be better player than Babar Azam: Simon Katich

Former Australian batter Simon Katich feels that Pakistan opener Abdullah Shafique can become a “better batter” than Babar Azam. The former all-rounder said that he likes the batter’s aggression against spin. Katich was doing commentary during the first Test between Australia and Pakistan at Perth. “He is a good young player and has had a good start to his Test career. What I like about him the most is his aggression against the spinners,” said Katich during commentary. “We saw him in Pakistan last year against Australia. He went hard against Nathan Lyon and hit him straight back over his head today. I like his batting style. For me, he is going to be a better player than Babar Azam,” he added. The 24-year-old batter has been good in Test cricket so far, scoring 1,220 in 14 Tests at an average of 50.83. He has scored four centuries and four fifties in the longer format for Pakistan, with 201 as his best individual score. He made his Test debut back in 2021. Also in 12 ODIs, he has scored 416 runs at an average of 34.66, with a strike rate of over 88. He has scored a century and four fifties, with the best score of 113. He also featured in the ICC Cricket World Cup in India this year, scoring 336 runs in eight matches at an average of 42.00, with a century and three fifties. Abdullah also has 64 runs in six T20I matches, with the best score of 41*. Babar, on the other hand, is an all-format superstar for Pakistan. In 50 Tests, he has scored 3,772 runs at an average of 47.74, with nine centuries and 26 fifties in 88 innings. His best score is 196. Across all formats, Babar has played 271 international matches, scoring 12,986 runs at an average of 49.18 and a strike rate of over 81. He has scored 31 centuries and 88 fifties, with the best score of 196. He is considered one of the best batters of the modern era. With ANI inputs