Former Pakistan national team player Zaheer Abbas has revealed who he thinks is the best cricketer in the world among the current crop of players. In a recent interview, the 72-year-old said that he believes that Australian Steve Smith is the better batsman in the longest format of the game but Indian skipper Virat Kohli is a complete package and the best batsmen at the moment if all three formats are considered. ‘Babar Azam Has the Potential to Even Beat Virat Kohli’, Ramiz Raja Heaps High Praise on Pakistan Cricketer.

In an interview with The Telegraph, when asked about who he thinks is the best batsmen right now, Abbas said ‘Steve Smith is more consistent than Kohli in Test cricket. He scores in almost every series he plays. Even the other Australian - David Warner - has been doing well.’ Ramiz Raja Says ‘Corrupt’ Pakistan Cricketers ‘Should Open Grocery Shops’, Slams PCB for Reinstating Them Into National Set-Up.

‘But as I said, a batsman needs to perform in all formats and in that sense, Kohli is more consistent in the other versions as well’ he added. The former cricketer also stressed on the fact that it is unfair to compare players from different eras. ‘So from that perspective, I don’t think you can call anyone as an all-time great player. This kind of comparison is not fair, if you want to establish yourself as the top batsman in world cricket, you have to be consistent in all formats. That’s fundamental.’

‘Waise bhi bahut hi zyaada cricket khelte hai Indian team (In any case, the Indian team plays too much of cricket). A top player like Kohli too is a part of most of those matches, and he can’t get bored too because that’s his profession and has given him so much.’ The former cricket added further.

Zaheer Abbas also hailed Virat Kohli as a machine and his performances in recent years even stating that there aren’t many who can parallel the Indian skipper at the moment.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 14, 2020 02:18 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).