Pakistan skipper Babar Azam on Monday (4th July) said that his side is trying to change the way they play Test cricket and they want to be balanced between playing a proactive brand of cricket and adapting to situations.
Pakistan came under scrutiny after their slow approach in their last home Test series against Australia. They received a lot of flak for not scoring more than three runs per over and cited this as the main reason behind their defeat.
The Babar-led side is now slated to take Sri Lanka in a two-match away series. The first Test will be played from July 16 in Galle, followed by the second game in Colombo from July 24.
They recently named their squad for the two Tests, which saw Yasir Shah and Mohammad Nawaz returning to the team whereas uncapped Salman Ali Agha earned his maiden call-up.
Speaking ahead of Pakistan’s tour to Sri Lanka, Babar Azam said that they are trying to change the brand of Test cricket they play. He admitted that although it won’t be easy for them, they want to play positively irrespective of the situation.
"We are trying to change the way we play Test cricket. Not easy for batters when the other team is dominating you. We want to play positively irrespective of the situation but it is only on a given day that we can decide how to win the match and our strategy," Babar Azam said.
Babar said that they also need to adapt to the situation. He remarked that they have been following the recent Test series of Sri Lanka and they have prepared for the conditions.
He added that they have the likes of Yasir Shah, Nauman Ali and Mohammad Nawaz to counter the spinning conditions.
"But you must remember that the beauty of Test cricket is about adapting according to the situation. You can't go for quick runs if the opposition is on top,. We have been following their recent tests also against Australia and you can see spinners are dominating.
“But we have also prepared as per their conditions and we have capable spinners in Yasir Shah, Nauman Ali, Nawaz to counter the conditions,” he said.
Babar is also confident about his pace bowlers delivering in the Island nation. He also quipped that they can’t take Sri Lanka lightly.
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"I also have confidence in my fast bowlers, they will dominate also. Our batsmen have played there before they can adapt well. Every team is dangerous on their home turf. Sri Lanka are a young team they know their conditions well and they cannot be taken lightly," he said.
Babar also spoke about the inclusion of Shan Masood, who scored more than 1000 runs for Derbyshire in the 'Division Two' of the English County Championship, and he also confirmed that Sajid Khan was dropped for the tour because he was working on improving his bowling action.
"Too early to say for certain whether he (Shan) will play but we have a tour game in Sri Lanka and we will see how it goes. If we feel Shan's induction suits us, why not select him.
"No he has not been reported. He is just trying to improve his action and we felt that with Yasir Shah back, better he is given space to work on his action,” he said.
The Pakistan squad will leave for the island nation on Wednesday (6th July) for a two-Test series.
(PTI Inputs)
