Pakistani batter Babar Azam playfully trolled former captain Kevin Pietersen when asked about whether he was listed in his all-time favourite cricket stars.
“As a youngster, I looked up to AB de Villiers — he’s my all-time favourite,” Babar responded to the query about his cricket idol during a recent appearance on Pietersen’s YouTube channel.
When Pietersen jokingly asked whether he was featured second or third on Babar’s list of favourites. The former Pakistan captain answered with a smile and replied bluntly: “No… sixth or seventh.”
The 31-year-old threw light on his admiration for AB de Villiers, recalling how deeply the South African legend influenced his early years.
“When I was younger, I used to copy him, like his stance and his batting posture, his shots. In 2007, I was a ball picker in the stadium, so the first time there I saw de Villiers, I just froze and said my idol is here,” he said.
“I shook his hand and later on playing in PSL, and then I said to him, I need your time, I have a good relation with AB and I told him that you are my favourite, my hero,” he added.
Recently, Pietersen himself adopted a humorous approach while reacting to Babar ending his international century drought.
Taking to X, the 45-year-old shared a behind-the-scenes picture from a net session with Babar and jokingly took credit for the batter’s return to form.
“My net session with Babar Azam definitely helped him get his flow back and scoring 100s again!” Pietersen posted, adding a laughing emoji.
The picture was from September, when Babar joined Pietersen for his newly launched project, The Switch, featuring conversations and sessions with top current cricketers.
Babar, who previously scored an international century against Nepal in the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2023, finally brought up another hundred after 83 innings and an 807-day wait.
His match-winning knock powered Pakistan to an eight-wicket victory over Sri Lanka.
The century was his 20th in ODIs, equaling Saeed Anwar’s record for the most by a Pakistani batter in the format.
He also surpassed AB de Villiers to become the third-fastest player in men’s ODI cricket to reach 20 hundreds, achieving the feat in 39 fewer innings than the Proteas great.
Babar now trails only South Africa’s Hashim Amla (108 innings) and India’s Virat Kohli (133 innings) on the list.
