Former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has praised batsman Babar Azam, saying he is a “world-class player now”.
Azam has long been Pakistan’s top run-scorer in all three formats and has broken numerous records in his career thus far.
He recently featured in the ODI tri-series against New Zealand and South Africa, where he made 62 runs in three games at an average of 20.66.
The 30-year-old then took part in the 2025 Champions Trophy and finished with 87 runs in two matches, which included a top score of 64, at an average of 43.50.
“Babar Azam is a world-class player now,” Sarfaraz told Cricket Pakistan.
Pakistan crashed out in the group stage of the Champions Trophy after losing to New Zealand and India.
They ended their campaign winless after their final match against Bangladesh was abandoned due to rain.
The men in green are now playing a limited overs series against New Zealand and trail 3-1 heading into the 5th T20I on March 26 in Wellington.
Azam was not picked for the T20Is, but has been included in the squad for the ODI series, which begins on March 29 in Napier.
Pakistan Squad for T20I Series against New Zealand: Hasan Nawaz, Omair Yousuf, Mohammad Haris, Abdul Samad, Salman Ali Agha (captain), Irfan Khan Niazi, Khushdil Shah, Shadab Khan, Abbas Afridi, Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Sufiyan Muqeem, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Khan
Pakistan Squad for ODI Series against New Zealand: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Akif Javed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Irfan Khan Niazi, Naseem Shah, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir