'Nothing to prove': Babar Azam brushes aside notion of being under pressure

MULTAN: Pakistan skipper Babar Azam Wednesday rubbished the notion that he is under any sort of pressure and said that he has "nothing to prove".

Babar, while addressing a press conference ahead of the second Test against England in Multan, reiterated that he doesn’t have to prove anything to anyone.

“I am under no pressure and always try to give my best on the field. I don’t have to prove anything regarding my credentials as a player. I try to enjoy my cricket and learn from my mistakes,” he said.

The 28-year-old cricketer said that it is not his focus to pay heed to what people say, but only to lead Pakistan into victories with his performance.

He also backed his team to play in the final of the World Test Championship next year. Pakistan are currently in the fifth position on the table and need to win all of their remaining matches in order to have a chance of playing the final.

After the remaining two Tests against England, Pakistan will play two matches versus New Zealand on home soil.

“We want to play the final of the World Test Championship. We have made comebacks in the past and can do the same in the future as well,” he said.

The Pakistan skipper also spoke about the future of veteran batter Azhar Ali, who has struggled for runs in the recent past.

"Azhar Ali is our senior player. I will support him as captain but it is up to Azhar Ali himself to decide his future," he said.

Azam also said that Pakistan fluffed a great opportunity to win the first Test against England in Rawalpindi.

It must be noted that England took full advantage of winning the toss — and their batting depth — to win the first Test by 74 runs Monday on a dead wicket that offered nothing to the bowlers.

Rawalpindi yielded 1,768 runs in four innings — the third most in Test history — with seven individual centuries and five 50s.

"The Rawalpindi Test was in our hands but due to our own mistakes, we were unable to save the Test match. Back-to-back fall of wickets cost us the match,” he concluded.