Former England fast bowler James Anderson has named Babar Azam as his favourite Pakistani cricketer.
He made the choice in a recent video for Cricket on TNT Sports, in which he picked a favourite from each country.
Anderson chose Shane Warne from Australia, Joe Root from England, Virat Kohli from India, Tim Southee from New Zealand, AB de Villiers from South Africa and Sanath Jayasuriya from Sri Lanka.
Anderson, 44, is England’s all-time leading Test wicket-taker. He reached 700 Test wickets in March 2024 and ended his England career in July 2024, after his 188th and final Test against the West Indies at Lord’s. He kept playing for Lancashire and captained the county’s red-ball side in 2026. He took 50 wickets at an average of 17.68 this summer, but Lancashire finished seventh out of eight teams in the second division.
On October 25, Lancashire confirmed they will not offer Anderson a new contract for 2027, which ends a 25-year association with his home county. Anderson said the exit was not the ending he wanted. He has not announced his retirement.
Babar is going through a difficult run. He scored 118 runs in four matches of Pakistan’s recent tri-series and was out for a duck in the final against Sri Lanka. He has not scored an international century since November 2025, when he made his 20th ODI hundred against Sri Lanka. He scored 91 runs in five innings at the T20 World Cup earlier this year.
Former Pakistan batter Mohammad Yousuf has urged Babar to seek specialised coaching in England or Australia to fix his technical weaknesses. Babar scored 42 for Lahore Whites in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy on 6 November, then struck his bat against the pitch after his dismissal.
Babar’s form has not always been poor this year. He was the top scorer in the 2026 Pakistan Super League with 588 runs.
