England's legendary fast bowler James Anderson has picked batsman Babar Azam as his favourite cricketer from Pakistan, surprising many by overlooking several former legends of the game.

 

Anderson revealed his choice during a rapid-fire segment with a sports website, where he named his preferred players from different countries. 

 

The 41-year-old, who recently retired as Test cricket's most successful fast bowler with 704 wickets, also selected Shane Warne from Australia, Joe Root from England, Tim Southee from New Zealand, AB de Villiers from South Africa, and Virat Kohli from India.

 

However, Anderson surprised many by choosing Babar Azam from Pakistan, overlooking several former legends like Younis Khan, Inzamam Ul Haq, Javed Minandad, Mohammad Yusuf and Saeed Anwar.

 

Babar is currently represents Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League, where he has scored 129 runs in five matches with two half-centuries. He maintains a strike rate of 117.27 and an average of 32.25 in the tournament.

 

The Pakistani star has accumulated over 15,000 runs across all international formats. His 4,429 runs in T20 internationals make him the leading run-scorer in the format's history.

 

Pakistan now turns its attention to the T20 World Cup 2026, which takes place in India and Sri Lanka in February. 

 

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have reportedly submitted a preliminary 20-member squad to the International Cricket Council (ICC) that includes Babar, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Shadab Khan.

 

Reports suggest former captain Mohammad Rizwan has been left out of the provisional squad, with head coach Mike Hesson favouring Usman Khan as wicketkeeper. 

 

Shaheen earns a spot in the selection despite sustaining a knee injury, while Babar's recent BBL performances have reportedly strengthened his case for inclusion.