PAK vs AUS: 'Babar Azam probably played the best innings of his life,' says Ramiz Raja

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, Ramiz Raja called the 2nd Test between Australia and Pakistan an ''epic'' contest and besides praising Babar Azam, he labelled Green Shirts batting show as one of the best performances in the country's Test history — when it comes to playing defensively while saving a match.

The nail-biting 2nd Test saw Pakistan managing to play for almost two days against a threatening Aussie bowling attack on a tough pitch with — Babar Azam (196), inexperienced Abdullah Shafique (96) and Mohammad Rizwan (104) playing important roles.

While Raja, in a video shared on PCB's official Twitter handle, gave his overall analysis about the epic match.

"There are some matches which test your character, your will and the team. And we saw it today as — Pakistan against the wall — successfully batted for almost two days," Raja said about the team pulling off an unbelievable draw.

Raja also spoke about the intensity of the match and praised Australia for fighting till the very end.

"Australia applied immense pressure on Pakistan by putting up aggressive field settings, and they kept fighting till the very end. Pakistan also handed the pressure brilliantly in the dying moments, making this Test an epic contest," he stated.

Babar Azam

It was Babar Azam who rose to the occasion for his team when they were in all sorts of trouble and he played a heroic 196-run knock off 425 balls, and showed some great level of concentration and technique.

"What to say about Babar. He probably played the best innings of his life, under pressure. We saw a staggering defensive batting display from him," said Raja about Babar's unbelievable knock.

Abdullah Shafique

Meanwhile, the opener Abdullah Shafique, despite being an inexperienced batter, has managed to punch above his weight against a tough side as he was also instrumental in helping Pakistan draw the match.

"We have also seen a bright young talent in form of Abdullah. In just his 4th Test, he almost played 400 balls against a strong bowling attack which just shows his talent, temperament and Pakistan has got a real asset for the future," thinks Raja.

Mohammad Rizwan 

Rizwan's knock also proved instrumental in the 3rd session as Nathan Lyon had taken three wickets in quick succession — removing Babar, Faheem Ashraf and Sajid Khan as it looked like Australia will clinch the game, but he stood firm and helped Pakistan draw the Test.

"Rizwan played brilliantly with the tail-enders. His batting had a rhythm, and he never looked under pressure, which is his great strength," Raja elaborated.

The crucial 3rd Test 

With the 3rd Test in Lahore being the decisive encounter after both games ended in a draw, Raja believes that they will be brimming with confidence and will be favourites to win the crucial game.

"The series is wide open. And Pakistan would come into the last Test with full confidence after pulling off an unbelievable draw in the 2nd game, where the team looked very gelled and played collectively," he concluded.  

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