ICC cricket World Cup is around the corner and Pakistan is one of the strong contenders for the coveted title with a formidable team at the disposal and can turn up to stage an upset against any big side on their day.  Former Australian captain Michael Clarke has termed Pakistan batsman Babar Azam as the Virat Kohli of his country's batting line-up.

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 Clarke lauds  Azam after the right-hander's brilliant century against Afghanistan in his side's warm-up game on Friday. Azam was in fine touch as he slammed 112 runs off 108 deliveries to top-score for Pakistan and help his side post a challenging total of 262 runs on the board after the middle order failed to turn up. During commentary, Clarke said,  "Babar Azam is real class no doubt about that. For me, he’s the Virat Kohli of Pakistan’s line-up. If Pakistan want to qualify for the semi-finals or final, a lot will depend on his young shoulders."

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Azam has been one of the best performers with the bat for Pakistan in the past couple of years. In 2019, he has struck 472 runs in 10 games at an average of 52.44 and has been enjoying a good run heading into the World Cup.