Babar Azam was once again facing off against some fiery deliveries, but this time not on the cricket pitch but in front of journalists after he was asked a question about his captaincy in Test format, as Pakistan went winless at home in 2022 in the longest format of the game.
Pakistan lost back-to-back Test series against Australia (0-1) and England (0-3) at home and barely managed to eke out a 0-0 draw against New Zealand recently.
Now as the focus shifts to the three-match ODI series, Babar Azam faced questions and one of them was whether relinquishing his captaincy duties in Test cricket help him succeed as an excellent batter in international cricket.
“I think we are having a white ball series now, and the Test matches are over. So if you have any questions about this white ball series, ask about that,” Babar said.
However, he was asked once again whether captaincy was affecting his batting and his poor record as captain at home, Babar said: “I don’t have to justify myself to anyone. I know how I am doing. My focus is on performing well for Pakistan”.
“In white-ball formats, we have performed well, and we want to continue with that momentum against New Zealand, although we know they are a perfect side, and it will be a tough series for both teams,” he added.
Furthermore, he cleared that he doesn’t have any issues with interim chief selector Shahid Afridi on the selection of players and said he and the head coach gave input and outlined their plans to the selectors regularly and in meetings.
He said: “I think we are on the same page that is important. We have our best bowlers back and hopefully, we can do well against New Zealand.”
The three ODIs will all be played in Karachi on Jan 9, 11, and 13.
