Former West Indian cricketer Sir Vivian Richards has shared his insights, showering praise upon Pakistan’s cricketer, particularly Babar Azam and Sarfaraz Ahmed.
Speaking to a local sports channel, Richards extended his admiration to Sarfaraz, whom he lauded for his passionate and dedicated approach to the game, irrespective of his role as captain.
“Sarfaraz is a player who wears his heart on his sleeve. I’ve always been a fan of Sarfaraz weather he’s captain or noncaptain, I believe that he brings a lot of positive things to the team,” Richards said.
Furthermore, describing Babar as a player in a class of his own, Richards highlighted Babar’s unique style and consistent performance.
“I can tell you for sure. Babar is a class by himself. I guess he doesn’t pick the bat up with all aggression like some of the other guys you see hitting big sixes. But he still gets the job done. And I just think he’s a magnificent player not just for Pakistan but also for World cricket,” Richards said.
“Babar has his style and every other batsman around the world have their particular style, but there are some individuals that you appreciate seeing. And, Babar is certainly one of them,” he further added.
Richards emphasized the remarkable evolution of cricket, particularly evident in tournaments like the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
“Pakistan is blessed with enormous talent. To have the PSL, it gives every young individual an opportunity. After they would have been successful in the PSL, they can go on to bigger things, the big bashes around the world and all the other tournaments. So, this is a tournament that is done well,” Richards said.
Reflecting on the journey of aspiring cricketers, Richards emphasized the inevitability of failure in one’s path to success.
“The only thing that you fear, I guess for young individuals, is failure. But failure comes with success. It’s all about working hard. And wherever you would have had failure to go back and work as hard as possible to get yourself back in, in the best place that can be in order for you to perform,” he further added.
Richards’ admiration for Pakistan’s cricketing talent did not overshadow his acknowledgment of the West Indies’ capabilities.
“Even though I love Pakistan, and I love Pakistan dearly, I think West Indies have a good enough team in order for them to go on win it. So, we’re hoping that we can give a good show of ourselves. One must remember that West Indies is filled with a lot of talent as well. And, in this T20 form, they are just as good as any team that is there,” Richards said.
Richards remained pragmatic about the West Indies’ chances to excel in the T20 World Cup.
“We’re just hoping that the guys can come to the form, put their best performance and so long as they do that, I believe that we can win that T20 World Cup at home,”This is only my opinion, when you are fully rounded in terms of test match cricket then all the other stuff that that comes after that it becomes easier in my opinion,” he concluded.
