Babar Azam, the captain of Pakistan’s cricket team, has dismissed any suggestions that he feels pressure to lead his side in all three formats. In a recent interview, he said that he enjoys the responsibility and the challenges that come with it.
“I am under no pressure. I enjoy captaincy, and I love to face challenges,” he said. “I have learned a lot from the previous captains, and I have also gained confidence from my performances as a batsman.”
Babar, who is currently ranked as the number one batsman in T20Is and the number two in ODIs, said that he does not let his captaincy affect his batting. He also praised his teammates for supporting him and playing as a unit.
CricBuzz quoted his saying, “My batting is my strength and I try to contribute as much as I can for the team. I don’t think about the captaincy when I am batting. I just focus on the ball and the situation,” he said. “The players are also backing me and playing with a positive mindset. We have a good combination of seniors and youngsters and we are playing as a team.”
“We can’t just go in and start firing blindly – we want that but with proper planning, how we want to play the first 10 overs, then the next 20 – how we have to achieve that target.
“There are a lot of things in this, like partnership, which player will stay in the pitch for how long. If you ask me, I would say if Fakhar is in the match for 20 or 30 overs, we can achieve that. Then follow up with Rizwan, Iftikhar. We can do this and we have planned for this,” he felt.