The 30-year-old Ahmed took 5-40 as Zimbabwe was bowled out for 206 in 45 overs after the visitors won the toss and opted to bat.

On the recent tour of England, Azam was not at his usual best as he could manage 69 runs in three rain-marred Tests and 56 runs in the two completed T20I matches. 

Shoaib Akhtar also criticised the Pakistan team and its players for their insecure and confusing nature.

The 25-year-old is currently leading Pakistan in the three-match T20I series, the first of which had ended in a no result due to rain on Friday.

But after toiling long and hard, Broad finally managed to draw that softest of nick off Babar's outside edge with the delivery on the fourth stump which was comfortably taken by Jos Buttler. 

Nasser feels that the political tensions have deprived Pakistan players of an IPL experience while naming Babar, the present No.1 ranked T20I batsman. 

Babar Azam was among runs in the first innings of the recently-concluded Manchester Test against England and fans and critics alike showered praise on him for his gritty display.

Comparison between Kohli and Babar have increased over the past couple of years with the latter finding his rhythm in Test cricket as well. 

Ramiz noted that Babar was facing the ball with open shoulders which would prevent him from playing his drives.

Already an established white-ball star, Babar arrived in England with a fast-growing reputation in the longer format, averaging 65.5 since the start of 2018 including four centuries in his last seven innings.

Nasser Hussain feels that had Virat Kohli carved out that innings as Babar did on Wednesday at the Old Trafford in the first afternoon of the opening Test, the world would have been talking about it.

The first Test between England and Pakistan will start today at Old Trafford in Manchester.

The only other batsman who has garnered as much attention across formats as the Fab Four is Babar. And since 2018, Babar has outdone them all. No other batsman, in the last two years, with more than 500 runs, averages more than Babar's 65.5. 

Azhar, presently 27th among batsmen, will be hoping to regain the form that lifted him to a career-best sixth in December 2016, while Babar will be hoping to progress from a career-best aggregate of 800 rating points.

England versus Pakistan Test series begins on August 5 at the Old Trafford Cricket ground in Manchester. 

The Pakistan pacer heaped praise on Kohli's consistency and preferred him over Steve Smith, Joe Root, Kane Williamson and his teammate Babar Azam.

Ashwin hailed Kohli as one of the finest cricketers of the world but added that Babar has it in him to reach that position eventually in his career

Former Pakistan cricketer Mudassar Nazar has said that playing in England would be the 'final test' for Babar Azam.

Babar Azam had earlier said that he wants to be compared to the stalwarts of Pakistan cricket, and not the Indian captain.

Azam stated that he doesn't want to be compared with Kohli but with some of the top-class batsmen that have donned the jersey of Pakistan in the past.