The newly-appointed skipper, Babar Azam of Pakistan in both limited-overs and Test cricket, said that if New Zealand had developed into a strong team and had some good individual players, the same was true about Pakistan.
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam, who has been handed reins of the side in all formats, on Friday insisted that his team does not have any factions and he would like to emerge as an independent leader with the support of senior players.
Babar Azam Insists He Played With Pressure And Learnt From Seniors Like Azhar Ali
The Pakistan squad, including 35 players and 15 officials, will leave for New Zealand on November 23. The senior team will play three T20 Internationals and two Tests while the Pakistan A side will be playing two four-day games and a few T20 matches in New Zealand.
Talking to media persons in Lahore, Babar Azam dismissed a query whether there was uneasiness among players over his captaincy credentials.
“This is a young team and there is no disharmony or groupings in our dressing room. The team is one. Every player respects and backs the other player and takes pride in their performances. No leg pulling in our team,” Babar Azam said.
Babar Azam also insisted that he didn’t felt under pressure to ensure dual responsibility of being captain in all three formats besides being the top batsman in the side.
“I have always played with pressure. When I came into Pakistan team early on there was pressure on me to perform. We have to face challenges every day. Now there is a new challenge and responsibility and I will try to use my experience from white ball cricket.
“I take advice from seniors and have learnt a lot from Saifi (Sarfaraz) and even Azhar (Ali). Whatever I have learnt and what they taught me, I am trying to apply those things and if need arises I will talk to them but in the end I will take independent decisions according to my mind-set,” he asserted.
Babar Azam said that his batting would not be affected by added responsibility of captaincy in all three formats.
“I try to enjoy myself as a batsman and I enjoy challenging situations. I know the team relies on me and I enjoy playing under pressure, especially abroad. We are going to New Zealand after having played a lot of cricket and we are excited as a team because we know our worth. We know that we have always performed well against New Zealand be it in New Zealand or anywhere else,” the skipper added.
Pakistan have left out Shoaib Malik, Asad Shafiq and Mohammad Amir but included Sarfaraz Ahmed, Azhar Ali and Mohammad Hafeez. The five uncapped players in Pakistan’s squad are Zeeshan Malik, Danish Aziz, Imran Butt, Rohail Nazir and Amad Butt.
The teams will play three T20Is between 18-22 December, while the two ICC World Test Championship matches will get underway with the Boxing Day contest followed by the final game of the tour starting on 3rd January. New Zealand are hosting West Indies in the meantime from 27 November to 15 December 2020.
Babar Azam: Main Aim Is To Back And Support Pakistan Teammates
He also said that if New Zealand had developed into a strong team and had some good individual players in their ranks, the same was true about Pakistan who selected a strong contingent to play against the formidable Kiwis.
“My main aim is to back and support my players. Especially those who are not performing well because they need the backing most. As a captain you have to show confidence in your players and back them only then they develop the confidence to do well. I struggled early when I came into Test cricket but only started performing because of the confidence and backing I got from Mickey Arthur and Safi,” said the Pakistan captain.
Babar Azam responded to a question, where he admitted that the New Zealand tour would be a litmus test for him both as batsman and captain.
“What we are aiming to do is create a good combination of young and senior players and try to be more consistent. As a team we just have to give it our best shot. The results will not always be in your favour and not all the players can perform all the time,” Babar Azam said.
He also said that no team could be taken lightly as every team has veteran and exciting, talented players, and every series is a challenge for both captains.