Pak vs NZ: Babar Azam joins team for net practice before second Test

Pakistan cricket team fans would be relieved to see captain Babar Azam returning to the nets on Thursday.

The PCB shared a video of Babar prepping up for the nets amid rumours that the skipper maybe ruled out of the second Test match against New Zealand.

Interestingly, in the video, Babar was seen bowling rather than what he is known for - batting.

Babar did pick up the bat in the videos, however, it was outside of the nets session.

According to sources, the team management had planned to examine Babar's injured thumb during the training session at Christchurch.

The sources also stated that the management will wait for the captain to recover from his injury "till the last moment".

The remarks had come ahead of the second Test match of the series due to begin between Pakistan and New Zealand on 3rd January.

Sources added that Azam has already started participating in mild practice sessions to assess his fitness. He, however, has not started playing against fast bowlers.

According to the management, it does not want to take any risks by allowing Azam to play cricket in view of his injury.

It should be recalled that Azam fractured his right thumb during a practice session before the Pakistan vs New Zealand T20 series. As a result, Babar was ruled out of the series.

Since he was not able to lead the Green Shirts in the three-match T20Is series against the Black Caps, vice-captain Shadab Khan was appointed the skipper, while wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan led the side during the first Test.

Pakistan will play the second Test against New Zealand from January 3, 2021. New Zealand currently lead the two-match series 1-0.