‘We are capable of giving tough time to NZ’ says Azhar Ali

Pakistani Ex-skipper Azhar Ali said that we are capable of giving a tough time to Black Caps. New Zealand tours are always challenging but we will play with our full strength.

Azhar stressed the challenges the team faced upon their arrival in New Zealand but hoped to learn from that experience to do well in the upcoming series. “We spent a difficult time in New Zealand during the 14 days of quarantine,” he said.

He further added to his statement,

“However, the team played a four-day match later which helped the players so we’re hoping to perform better in the much-awaited Test series.”

The first match of the two-Test series between Green shirts and Kiwis will start tomorrow at Bay Oval in Mount Manganui.

Azhar said that it is the duty of senior players to lead from the front. “It is our duty to support each other and take everyone along. As a senior player, I will try to use my experience here and perform because the team has expectations from us. I will try to help in whatever capacity I can,” he said.

Squad:

Mohammad Rizwan (captain for 1st Test), Abid Ali, Azhar Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Haris Sohail, Imran Butt, Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Shan Masood, Sohail Khan, and Yasir Shah. (Babar Azam and Imam-ul-Haq not available for the first Test)

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