Will seek seniors input, but decision will be mine: Babar

LAHORE: Pakistan captain Babar Azam on Friday said that they are looking forward to the New Zealand tour and are determined to give their best.

Addressing a press conference here, he said that players are well-prepared to take the challenge. “We are confident about our performance. Our record in New Zealand has been good. We are determined to play good cricket,” he added.

Pakistan announced its tour to New Zealand in September this year. The two teams will play three T20Is and two Tests from December 18 to January 7. The team will depart in the last week of November after which they will enter a two-week quarantine period in Lincoln following New Zealand government’s Covid-19 protocols.

Babar, now captain across all the three formats, believes that it is important to support youngsters which will subsequently help improve the team combination.

The 26-year-old talked about his own struggle which he faced early on in Test cricket. He said after one year his performances improved due to former head coach Mickey Arthur’s support.

“Our plan is to continue with a combination of youngsters and experience. Important is to back young players. My example is in front of everyone as I was struggling in Test cricket early in my career but team management supported me throughout,” Babar said.

“Credit goes to Mickey as he supported me constantly. He said the more support I got and the more I played, the better I would become and after one year, improvement was visible in my batting,” he added.

Babar said that it is important to score when the team needs runs but he is also aiming to score a century in New Zealand. “My aim has always been the same: to score big when touring Australia, England and New Zealand. I am prepared and will try to score a century there (New Zealand),” he said.

He further stated that the final decision on the field would be of his own, but he would consult with former captains Azhar Ali and Sarfraz Ahmed.

“I have learnt from Azhar and Sarfraz and will definitely seek their opinion but of course I will make the final decision,” he emphasised.

He denied that there was added pressure on his shoulders due to being the captain, saying that “the PCB has given me the captaincy for a long term and assured me of their complete confidence and liberty, which is why there is no pressure.”

The captain dismissed the notion of any grouping with the team, saying that the players were “one unit. All the players are very good and try to play well. Playing abroad is a difficult task, but we have been playing well when abroad. For example, we showed a good performance in England,” Babar said.

The captain praised the team’s young fast bowlers and added that they must be supported by everyone. “Players need confidence on every tour,” he said.