Babar Azam Says He Has No Idea About A Possible Change In Pakistan Captaincy

Pakistan all-format captain Babar Azam broke his silence over rumors of a potential change in the captaincy of the national team. Recently there were reports of Babar Azam being replaced in all or either of the international formats as the captain, but the right-hander refuted those claims.

Babar was recently named the Pakistan skipper in all formats and he announced himself on the scene by beating South Africa in their own backyard. Currently, he will be preparing for the limited-overs tours by New Zealand who have already arrived for their first tour since 2003, and then England will visit Pakistan for the first time since 2005.

Instead of focusing on the rumors of captaincy change, the champion batsman declared in a virtual news conference that his priority is on performing well in the upcoming home series against New Zealand.

He said, “I have no idea about it so far.”

Babar Azam Says He Is Backing The Pakistan Team Given To Him Fully

Apart from the rumors of captaincy change, there was also news of Babar Azam being unhappy with the Pakistani T20 World Cup squad and the team for the New Zealand white-ball series. However, the Captain confirmed that he is backing the squad fully and said that this team is capable of beating the Kiwis.

“I had an input that I gave. This is not anyone’s team, this is Pakistan’s team. I am backing it and others should also do so,” Azam said.

The two cricketing nations will square off in a three-match ODI series, which will be followed by five T20Is in Pakistan. New Zealand has named an under-strength squad with Tom Latham as captain as some of their top stars including regular captain Kane Williamson and bowler Trent Boult are in UAE for the IPL 2021.

The series is set to commence on September 17 with the two teams contesting in their first ODI at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi. Pakistan has named a 12-member squad for the first match.

Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Saud Shakil, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Qadir, Zahid Mahmood.

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