Babar against ‘many changes’ for South Africa series

LAHORE: Pakistan captain Babar Azam thinks that there should not be many changes for the series against South Africa.

The 26-year-old Babar has backed his troops and is confident that his team will perform better in the Test and T20I series against Proteas, scheduled to start from January 26.

“The side is excited for the series against South Africa. South Africa is a quality side and it will be a very important series for us. We will go with a positive mindset against South Africa,” Babar said while talking to reporters in Lahore on Tuesday.

“It is crucial to back the team during difficult times and not judge on the basis of one bad series. To build a team, players need to be given consistent opportunities,” he added.

Babar expressed disappointment at missing the matches against New Zealand due to an injury on his right thumb. “It was painful for me not to play against New Zealand as the team needed me badly. However, I have been practising for two days now after completely recovering from the injury. I’ll be in action against South Africa,” he revealed.

Babar said he was excited that the South African team was touring Pakistan after a period of more than 13 years. He said he was not worried about the team’s bowling attack. He said he would discuss the team’s combination with the selection committee. “To build a team, you need to give consistent opportunities to players. The more international cricket they play, the better it is for the team,” he added.

The skipper said there was a lot of talent in the country. “I like Abdullah Shafiq. Faheem Ashraf has improved as well. Naseem Shah had a hard time but it’s not possible for a player to perform well in every series. Players need to be backed even if they perform poorly in one series,” said the captain.

Babar also talked about Mohammad Amir’s retirement from international cricket. “Amir’s performance was not the same as before. Now if his performance improves, the selectors will definitely consider his return and talk to him,” he said.