The prolific runs-getter from Pakistan had a reserved price of £100,000. However, he was not picked by any franchise in the draft earlier this month.

The overlooking of Babar didn’t go well with the England pacer, who is willing to spend the entire tournament’s budget on the right-hander.

“I’ll pay double for him [Babar Azam]. I’ll spend the whole budget on Babar Azam,” Anderson said while speaking to BBC’s Tailender Podcast.

“The only thing I can guess is that there might have been an availability issue, which is why he wasn’t picked,” he added.

Moreover, he also recalled the time when he once was overlooked in the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction. “I went into the IPL auction once and didn’t get picked up,” Anderson said.

Anderson recently played against Babar last year when England toured Pakistan for the first time in 17 years.

In 2022 edition of The Hundred, Babar was not picked in the tournament due to Pakistan’s international commitments. He had a reserve price of £125,000.