Babar Azam Aims For A Double Or Triple-Hundred In The Upcoming Tests In England
Published - 03 Jul 2020, 07:45 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:31 AM
The forthcoming tour of England would be one of the essential ones for Babar Azam, who is arguably the most dependable batsman in the Pakistan line-up. Having made his debut in 2015, Babar Azam enjoyed a meteoric rise in limited-overs cricket through his silken-smooth technique and consistency. While he took his time to click in Tests, it seems the right-handed batsman is starting to get in the groove. And Babar is eyeing one massive score in England in the whites to prove his red-ball credentials.
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After making his Test debut in 2016, the 25-year-old mustered his first century outside of sub-continent conditions last year. It was in Brisbane against Australia that Babar Azam scored his second Test hundred, albeit in a losing cause. Pakistan’s limited-overs captain went on to hammer three more collectively against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to climb to number five in the ICC Test rankings.
England have the home advantage: Babar Azam
Babar Azam conceded that a batsman naturally would want to convert their hundred into double or triple-hundred. The 25-year-old aims to do the same in the upcoming three-Test series in the United Kingdom. He further stated that he does like to play his natural game; however, he can also adjust according to the conditions and bowlers. So far in 26 Tests, the right-handed batsman has 1850 runs at 45.12.
“When you score a century, you naturally want to go on and convert that into a double or a triple century. This is something I would like to do during the Test series. I like to play my natural game but my selection of shots depends on the conditions and bowlers,” Babar Azam stated as quoted by Times Now.
We have high expectations from our bowlers: Babar Azam
The Lahore-born batsman went on to say that their strategy would be to exploit the bowling-friendly conditions and put unsettle England’s fragile top-order. He reckons that the likes of Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah, and Shaheen Shah Afridi would have a massive role to play.
“England have the home advantage but our bowlers will give a tough time to their batsmen. We will target their fragile Test top-order. Mohammad Abbas is experienced while Naseem Shah and Shaheen Afridi have a lot of potential. We have high expectations from our bowlers,” he added.
Pakistan will begin their series against England after West Indies gets done with their three-Test series, starting on the 8th of July. The leg against the Caribbeans marks the return of international cricket, which has stood suspended since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Men in Green will also feature in three T20Is apart from as many Tests.
