Daily Times

LAHORE: Pakistan captain Babar Azam is eager to make up for getting out for a golden duck in the first Test against Zimbabwe. While speaking in a virtual press conference on Thursday, Babar said he was confident of bouncing back in the second Test starting on Friday (today). “I wanted to play a big innings in the previous Test but was not successful. I will try my best to do better in the second Test match,” said Babar. “Batsmen and bowlers did really well in the first Test. We will try to remain consistent in our performance and keep the winning momentum going,” he added.

Babar believes all-rounder Faheem Ashraf was a vital cog in Pakistan’s Test team and provides balance to the side. “Faheem Ashraf is an excellent all-rounder. He did really well on New Zealand tour and in home series against South Africa. He is an integral part of our team,” he said. The Pakistan captain also announced the 13-man squad for the aforementioned Test. The Men in Green have included the 11 players, which played the first Test, along with uncapped seamers Tabish Khan and Haris Rauf. “Team management isn’t scared of losing. We want a settled line-up in Test cricket. We play only few Tests after considerable gaps. So we don’t want to experiment much in Tests. We only do changes if required,” he said. The visitors won the first Test match by an innings and 116 runs courtesy splendid bowling performance by Hasan Ali, who bagged match figures of 9-89, and a century, 140, by left-handed middle-order batsman Fawad Alam.

Babar also opened up about the possibility of including left-hand opener Imamul Haq in the Test squad for future series. Babar said that Imam’s services can be utilised in future considering his record in red-ball cricket. “We will carry the backup openers we have right now. If we think we should try Imam, then we will do so, as his record with red ball is also really good. We will utilise whoever suits us,” said Babar. Imam has played 11 Test matches for Pakistan, scoring 485 runs at an average of 25.52. The Lahore-born, who made his debut against Ireland in 2018, has not played Test cricket since the 2019 Adelaide Test against Australia.