England wicketkeeper-batter Sam Billings has lavished praise on Pakistan\u2019s premier batter Babar Azam, who has been signed by the Sydney Sixers for the upcoming 15th season of the Big Bash League (BBL). In a recent interview, Billings hailed Babar as a \u201cKing\u201d acknowledging his stature in world cricket, and voiced enthusiasm about the prospect of seeing the prolific right-hander feature in the tournament. \u201cHe is King Babar Azam, as they call him. He\u2019s been such a world-class performer for such a long time. Any competition featuring a player like Babar Azam benefits not only the Sixers, as you said, but the tournament as a whole,\u201d Billings said. \u201cI\u2019ve played a lot against him, and I\u2019d much rather have him on my side than against me. I\u2019m definitely looking forward to those Sydney derbies again,\u201d he added. The 34-year-old cricketer has been a regular feature in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) since 2022, representing Lahore Qalandars. He also praised the depth of talent in Pakistan cricket. \u201cI\u2019ve played a lot of PSL cricket. The talent they have\u2014the talent pool\u2014is off the charts,\u201d he noted. Babar\u2019s signing has already created a buzz in the cricketing world. Former England captain Michael Vaughan also reacted to the news with a brief yet impactful post on X (formerly Twitter), calling Babar\u2019s signing a \u201cGreat signing.\u201d It is pertinent to mention that the Sydney Sixers officially announced Babar\u2019s signing on Friday, marking one of the most high-profile acquisitions in BBL history. The 30-year-old batter, who has scored over 10,000 international runs across formats, is widely regarded as one of the most consistent and prolific performers in world cricket. Under BBL regulations, each team is allowed to sign one international player ahead of the official BBL 15 Draft, scheduled for Thursday, June 19. The Sixers capitalised on this opportunity to secure the services of the Pakistan maestro. A key figure in Pakistan\u2019s national side for more than a decade, Babar captained the team in all three formats from 2019 to 2024. Under his leadership, Pakistan reached the semi-finals of the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup and finished as runners-up in the 2022 edition. Sharing his excitement in a video message released by the franchise, the former skipper expressed his enthusiasm for joining the Sixers and playing alongside Australian greats. \u201cHey guys, super pumped to be joining the Sydney Sixers. Can\u2019t wait to share the dressing room with my favorite batter, Steve Smith, and world-class bowler, Josh Hazlewood,\u201d Babar said. \u201cI\u2019ve always loved playing in Australia, but making my BBL debut will be something special. So I’m really excited and looking forward to getting over there and meeting my crazy cricket fans,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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