Pakistan captain Babar Azam targets successful cricket season

• Pakistan will play a 3-match ODI series against Afghanistan.
• They will then compete in the Asia Cup.
• Pakistan has been experiencing remarkable success in ODIs.

Babar Azam, the captain of the Pakistan cricket team, is getting ready for the upcoming cricket season.

The season begins tomorrow in Sri Lanka, where Pakistan will face Afghanistan in a three-match ODI series. Babar has been actively participating in cricket activities in Sri Lanka for nearly two months in preparation for this.

Under Babar’s leadership, Pakistan will compete in the ODI series against Afghanistan, followed by the Asia Cup. Additionally, they have their sights set on the ICC World Cup, which is scheduled to take place in India later this year. Looking ahead, Pakistan has plans to tour Australia towards the end of this year, followed by a tour to New Zealand in early 2024.

“It is great to be together as one unit again as we enjoy each other’s company a lot,” Babar told PCB Digital on the eve of the first ODI against Afghanistan.

“We have a few new faces in the side and I wish them good luck for the challenges ahead. Most of the boys have been playing cricket in different leagues, but when you don the Pakistan star, it is a different feeling altogether. We enter this series with good momentum following our Test series win here and we are eager to build on it. As a captain, I am very excited for the cricket ahead.”

“We are focused in our preparations as we have big events in the Asia Cup and the World Cup coming up,” said Babar, under whose captaincy Pakistan have won 17 out of 26 ODIs.

“But, at the same time, we want to take one series at a time … It is always beneficial for a team to get such a series ahead of major events. That we are playing in Asian conditions will definitely provide us an edge and help us get in the rhythm. The Afghanistan team is on the rise and they have some good bowlers. The fans will get to see some exciting cricket.”

Afghanistan series Schedule

22 Aug – First ODI, Hambantota

24 Aug – Second ODI, Hambantota

26 Aug – Third ODI, Colombo

Squads

Pakistan: Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (c), Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Tayyab Tahir, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Haris (wk), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi.

Afghanistan: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ikram Alikhil (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rehman, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Abdul Rahman, Mohammad Saleem Safi and Wafadar Momand.

Also Read

BCCI Unveils 17-Member Squad for Asia Cup 2023

Return of KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and Jasprit Bumrah after injuries. Squad's...