Former English all-rounder Liam Plunkett compared the popularity of Virat Kohli and Babar Azam to Basketball superstar, LeBron James, as he believes that the two cricketing heroes can attract similar audience to what the Basketball super-player can.
“If you had Babar and Virat stood next to LeBron James, the queues for the cricketers would be just as long, if not longer,” as the fast bowler communicated with foreign media.
“They are so massive around the world,” as the South Asian countries have their diaspora spread all around the world who come out in massive numbers whenever their country is playing in the diaspora’s naturalized home.
The fan following of the two cricketing superstars is well known in this part of the world, but their popularity has risen over the past few years all over the globe. Kohli is one of the most popular athletes in the world, while Babar Azam’s stature is growing gradually too.
As for Plunkett, he represented England in all three formats – 13 Tests, 89 ODIs & 22 T20Is – running his tenure from 2005-19. He is remembered for his contributions in the 2019 ICC ODI World Cup, where he played the role of England’s middle-overs enforcer. He took 11 wickets at an average of 24.72 and an economy of under 5, including three wickets in the successful final.
Plunkett’s Test and ODI debut, 2005, came against Pakistan in Lahore, as he announced himself as a capable allrounder who could strike the ball a fair way and bowl as a miserly customer.
The right-hand dominant all-rounder has played a part in the Pakistan Super League, as he represented Karachi Kings as a player.
Plunkett, who is married to an American woman, was open to the idea of playing for the United States cricket team after winning the World Cup with England in 2019. However, he would have to serve a three-year residency period before becoming eligible to represent the team.
