Pakistan's batsman Babar Azam (L) celebrates with teammate Sarfraz Ahmed (R) during the 2nd ODI match between Pakistan and West Indies at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, on October 2, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / KARIM SAHIB
Despite having Mohammad Rizwan as a emergency player for World Cup, reports suggest that Babar Azam has been identified as backup keeper for the mega event.
Babar Azam, who will shoulder the responsibility to ensure that Pakistan’s batting lineup performs well, will now also have to keep wickets if Sarfaraz Ahmed is injured and/or off-the-field.
Sources claim that Azam is a capable wicketkeeper as all three of his cousins — Kamran Akmal, Umar Akmal and Adnan Akmal — are all wicketkeeper batsmen.
Before transforming into a world-class specialist batsman, Babar started off his domestic career as a wicketkeeper.
Previously, Safaraz Ahmed revealed that Abid Ali will be the backup keeper in the squad. However, after sending him back to Pakistan following the series against England, Pakistan needed to announce the backup keeper.
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