Babar Azam should play like his 'idol' Virat Kohli: Shoaib Akhtar

Former speedster Shoaib Akhtar believes Pakistani batsman Babar Azam should emulate his "idol" Virat and smash innings like him.

Akhtar presented his views in a video he uploaded on his YouTube channel.

Talking about Pakistan's thumping win against South Africa on Sunday, Akhtar expressed his critique and highlighted the strategy Pakistan should adopt to win the upcoming matches.

Akhtar opined if Babar truly looks up to Virat as his idol then he should try and emulate the way he bats.

"Babar Azam should learn to play like Virat. Virat scored 62 runs while being in a rather tough spot," Akhtar said.

He added, "Babar should learn to score singles like Virat and try to improvise like him."

He lay special importance on improvisation as key.

"If you look at players like Virat, Rohit Sharma, Kane Williamson...all these guys accelerate their scoring after reaching fifty. Babar should learn from them. He should have more range of shots," he added.

"Pakistan have a good chance of making it to the semifinals. They need to play fearless cricket without any pressure. If England lose their three matches against Australia, India and New Zealand, Pakistan can come through," said Akhtar.