Lahore, June 9 (IANS): Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar has stated current white-ball skipper Babar Azam's target is to reach the levels set by the likes of Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson.

The quartet of Kohli, Williamson, Joe Root and Steve Smith are widely regarded as modern-day batting greats and Akhtar stated Azam had set his eyes upon being part of that league of cricketers.

"Babar Azam is a very talented cricketer. He has set a target to reach the likes of Virat Kohli, Joe Root, Kane Williamson," Akhtar was quoted as saying by Metro.co.uk.

Akhtar also said that despite being similar type of players, Azam shouldn't be compared with Kohli just yet. The former speedster feels that its unfair to put Azam up against Kohli considering the Pakistan star has played less cricket.

"Virat Kohli and Babar Azam are classic players, but it's not right to compare them as Pakistan plays a fewer number of Tests and ODIs compared to India," Akhtar said.

"Their commitment makes me believe that they both will break many world records in future. But, it's not fair to compare them," he added.

While 31-year-old Kohli is widely regarded as the current best batsmen in the world across formats, Babar has been hailed by commentators and experts as the next big thing in batting.