Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam said on Saturday that he wishes to adopt iconic cricketer Imran Khan’s style that he exhibited during his cricket days.
Speaking to a private channel, Babar Azam said that the cricketer-turned-Prime Minister always favoured aggressive style of play and instilled confidence in his younger teammates.
“When players are praised, they get the courage [to perform well],” the batsman said, adding that “when players are relaxed they deliver better performance.”
Azam further said that now he is the skipper, he thinks less of his own self and cares more about the team’s larger interest.
“More than my own performance, I now have to work for the team,” he said.
He also added that he tries to encourage his team members and take their input for devising team plans.
The captain expressed hope that he, along with the team, plan on taking the Pakistan cricket team to the top in ICC rankings.
Azam is currently with his team in England where they are scheduled to play a Test and T20I series in August.
Babar Azam confident Pakistan will bounce back in T20Is
Moreover, Babar Azam hopes the experience in the Pakistan team management will benefit them in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Pakistan were leading the MRF Tyres ICC T20I Team Rankings for 27 months. From the end of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2016 in April to the start of 2019, they won 29 of their 33 T20Is, boasting of a win percentage of 87.87%. But a poor record in 2019, when they lost eight of their 12 T20Is, saw them slip to fourth place in the latest rankings.
“Yes, we did lose a few matches and our ranking has unfortunately gone down,” he admitted to presspersons while preparing for their series in England.
Azam also added, “And if the World Cup held according to schedule, I’m confident that our team will do well in it.”
