Shahid Afridi picks his 4 current best batsmen in world cricket

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi is never short of opinions on cricket. Be it over issues related to the 22 yards or out of it, the dashing cricketer is straightforward with his viewpoints. He even advised the Sri Lankan cricket board to force its players on contract to tour Pakistan after it came under clouds.

He recently expressed his opinion when asked to pick his favourite batsmen among the current cricketers. And Afridi came up with the names of India captain Virat Kohli, Pakistan ODI and T20I vice-captain Babar Azam, England Test captain Joe Root and former Australia skipper Steve Smith.
Shahid Afridi was asked to name his favourite cricketers by a fan on Twitter and he named the four batsmen who are among the most dominant in contemporary world cricket. Among the four, Smith is particularly in great form and slammed 774 runs in only four Tests in the recent Ashes at an average of 110.



It was his first Test series after returning from the year-long ban that he faced in the wake of the Sandpapergate scandal and he hit three tons in the series with the highest score of 211 belted at Old Trafford.

Virat Kohli, Babar, Root, Smith

— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) September 19, 2019

Kohli is in good nick now
Virat Kohli though lost his No.1 spot to Steve Smith in Tests but his form is as consistent. After a World Cup without centuries, he hit two back-to-back hundreds in ODIs against the West Indies recently and has scored three fifties in his last five international innings (two in Tests and one in T20I). His latest knock is a 72 not out in the second T20I against South Africa in Mohali which won his side the game and take an unassailable 1-0 lead.
Root came under criticism for his captaincy in the recent Ashes although with the bat, he didn’t do too badly. In five Tests, Root hit four half-centuries. In 86 Tests, the England Test skipper averages almost 48 which rightly makes him one of the best batsmen in world cricket now.
Azam, 24, is by far Pakistan’s best batsman now although he is yet to fulfil the potential according to many. With 11 international hundreds under his belt, Azam is the 16th best batsman in Tests now but third in the ODIs and first in T20Is.