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Thursday March 28, 2024

Pakistan not to take Zimbabwe lightly, says Babar Azam

By Our Correspondent
October 30, 2020

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan captain Babar Azam said the One-Day International series against Zimbabwe starting Friday (today) will set the tone for the Greenshirts for the rest of the hectic international season.

Babar feels that a good performance against Zimbabwe will go a long way in boosting the team’s morale for more important and tougher series ahead.

Talking to media persons via video link on Thursday, Babar said Pakistan want to make a perfect start at the Pindi Stadium in Rawalpindi.

“This is not only the first international series of the season for us; it is also the first of our campaign to directly qualify for the 2023 World Cup. So it holds vital importance to us,” the batting star said.

Babar, who will be captaining Pakistan for the first time in ODIs, cautioned his players not to take Zimbabwe lightly. “Zimbabwe are a mixture of youth and experience and thus can pose a good challenge for us,” he said. “We are in no mood to take them lightly. No team playing at the highest level can be taken lightly. I want my players to give their 110 per cent in every match.”

Babar wants to make full use of his T20 leadership experience in ODIs. “The demands for both the formats are a bit different. In one-day cricket, one has to play with more care as the requirement is to build one’s innings unlike T20 cricket,” he said.

“This is my first series as a captain and I want a successful start, making sure we play according to the demands of 50 overs cricket. I will utilize my T20 experience. I know when you trust your charges they respond in a positive way,” he said.

Babar said he likes to set different goals from match to match and series to series. “You can’t have plans and set goals for a whole season. It’s a good strategy to think and plan on match-to-match and series-to-series basis,” he said. “It’s a home series so we have to take it differently and when we go abroad the demands and objectives are different.”

Babar said the team management has plans for each Zimbabwe player. “Definitely, we have targeted a few experienced players but as a whole you have to plan against each player to get the best results.”

On his personal performance and effort to retain his superb international form in ODI cricket, Babar said every game’s demands were different. “Each time you land at the crease for a new innings, you have to start afresh. So you feel a bit of nervousness at the start no matter against whom you are playing,” he said. “I always try to stay cool and slowly build my innings in ODIs. I believe in my strength and abilities and want to take others along. I want to play attacking cricket as our opponents are also capable to make things happen.”

On staying in a bio-secure bubble and its impact on players, Babar said: “We are now used to it. These are tough times and we must learn to live with it.”