Ramiz Raja's bold claim about Babar Azam

Pakistan defeated the West Indies by five wickets in the opening ODI of the series. The captain deserves credit for the victory, as he played brilliantly to chase down a target of 306 runs. Pakistan's innings was built around Babar Azam's 103 runs off 107 balls.

After the game, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) President Ramiz Raja took to Twitter to heap praises on the team skipper Babar Azam. He claimed that Azam proved why he was the best all-format player with this century. He also praised Khushdil Shah, who delivered a brilliant cameo towards the end of the game.

"A tremendous game. Babar walking to a hundred and showing yet again why he is the best all-format batsman in the world and why Khushdil has to be renamed Dilkhush !! A big thank you to all the fans at the stadium for braving the heat and making it a great day. Multan Zindabad," Raja wrote in his tweet.

A tremendous game. Babar walking to a hundred and showing yet again why he is the best all format batsman in the world and why Khushdil has to be renamed Dilkhush !! A big thank you to all the fans at the stadium for braving the heat and making it a great day. Multan Zindabad.

— Ramiz Raja (@iramizraja) June 9, 2022

In the meantime, Since taking over as Pakistan's captain, Babar has scored over 1000 runs in one-day internationals. He achieved this feat in just 13 innings, beating the previous record of 17 innings held by former India captain Virat Kohli. Babar Azam required 98 runs before the game began to beat Kohli's record, which he achieved.

In the match, Shai Hope (127 runs in 134 balls) and Shamarh Brooks (70 runs in 83 balls) batted brilliantly to assist West Indies to 305 runs. Haris Rauf, on the other hand, had a fantastic game with the ball. He grabbed four wickets in the encounter, while Shaheen Shah Afridi took two.

Pakistan lost an early wicket in the chase, but swiftly established crucial partnerships. On a flat pitch, the Windies bowlers couldn't do much, allowing batters to score easily. Imam-ul-Haq (65) and Mohammad Rizwan (59) assisted Babar Azam in the game. Khushdil Shah then put the finishing touches on the match, scoring 41 from 23 balls to win by five wickets.

Multan Cricket Stadium will host the remaining two games on the 10th and 12th of June.