Babar Azam: Zimbabwe Series Will Serve As Practice For New Zealand Tour

Pakistan’s white-ball captain Babar Azam has stated that the Zimbabwe series at home will help them to prepare for the New Zealand tour in December.

Pakistan is set to host three-match ODI and T20I series against Zimbabwe from October 30. The ODI series will be played in Multan while the T20I series will be hosted in Rawalpindi. After playing series against Zimbabwe, they will travel to New Zealand where they will play 3 T20Is and 2 Tests from December 18 to January 7.

Babar Azam opined that the series against Zimbabwe will set the momentum for them for the New Zealand tour.

“We want to gain momentum while playing against Zimbabwe [so that we are prepared] before leaving for the New Zealand tour. The series will also serve as practice for the tour of New Zealand later this year,” Azam was quoted as saying by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on its website.

Mental strength is a key to success: Babar Azam

Further, he talked about how he has become a successful batsman. He stated that working on mental strength is the key while also backing the natural game.

“A great player is one who can stays focused in pressure situations. I work hard on the mental aspect of my game as I feel mental strength is a key to success.

“I stick to my natural game in all three formats and back myself to play my shots. Of course, at times, you need different approaches and I try to adapt according to the given situation.

Babar Azam said that he practices a lot before matches to get things right during the game.

“I spend a lot of time and energy on getting my preparation right before a match. Practice is the key to success and I try and ensure I tick all the boxes before heading into a match,” he said.

Pakistan last played international cricket against England in July. They had toured the UK to play the Test and T20I series.