England’s wicketkeeper batter Sam Billings has exaggerated praise for Pakistan’s leading batter Babar Azam, signed by Sydney Sixers for the upcoming 15th season of Big Bash League (BBL).
In a recent conversation, Billings Babar paid tribute to a “king” who recognized his stature in the cricket of the world, and expressed enthusiasm over the prospect of seeing the productive right -hand function in the tournament.
“He is King Babar Azam, as they call him. He has been a world -class artist for so long. Any competition with a player like Babar Azam not only draws the benefits you said, but the tournament as a whole,” Billings said.
“I’ve played a lot against him, and I’d much rather have him on my side than against me. I definitely look forward to these Sydney Derbies again,” he added.
The 34-year-old cricketer has been a regular feature in Pakistan Super League (PSL) since 2022, representing Lahore Qalandars. He also praised the depth of talent in Pakistan Cricket.
“I’ve played a lot of PSL cricket. The talent they have – the talent pool – is outside the charts,” he noted.
Babar’s signature has already created a hum in the cricketing world. Former English Captain Michael Vaughan also responded to the news with a short, yet attending post on X (formerly Twitter), in which he called Babar’s signing of a “great signing.”
It is relevant to mention that Sydney Sixers officially announced Babar’s signature on Friday and marked one of the most profiled acquisitions in the BBL story.
The 30-year-old dough, which has scored over 10,000 international races across formats, is widely considered one of the most consistent and productive artists in the world’s cricket.
According to BBL rules, each team will be allowed to sign an international player prior to the official BBL 15 draft scheduled for Thursday, June 19th. Sixers capitalized this opportunity to secure the services of Pakistan Maestro.
A key figure in Pakistan’s national page for more than a decade, captained the Babar team in all three formats from 2019 to 2024. Under his leadership, the Pakistan semi-finals in 2021 ICC T20 reached the World Cup and ended as runners in the 2022 edition.
The former skipper shared his enthusiasm in a video message released by the franchise, expressed his enthusiasm for joining Sixers and playing with Australian greatnesses.
“Hi guys, super pumped to join Sydney Sixers. Can’t wait to share the dressing room with my favorite dough, Steve Smith and world -class bowler, Josh Hazlewood,” Babar said.
“I’ve always loved playing in Australia, but getting my BBL debut will be something special. So I’m really excited and look forward to coming over there and meeting my crazy cricket fans,” he added.
