Babar Azam says rigorous training under way to play under harsh conditions

F.P. Report

LAHORE: Pakistan cricket team captain Babar Azam on Wednesday said that players are undergoing a rigorous practice season amid scorching heat for the upcoming West Indies series.

Babar was addressing a press conference at PCB Headquarters in Lahore.

The skipper said that Muhammad Rizwan has been in a good nick and also thinking about Shan Masood who was delivering in the county cricket.

“A good team must not change again and again. We will try to perform well in the World Championship matches,” he added.

Babar Azam said that players must be given chances instead of being expelled from the team.

World No 1 player in T20 and ODI Babar Azam said that county cricket helped players shape up their cricket and in England county cricket Hassan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Muhammad Rizwan, Usman Qadir and Haris Rauf had performed well.

Pertinent to note that Dominic Drakes of West Indies and Finn Allen of NewZealand have replaced Shadab Khan and Haris Rauf for Yorkshire in ongoing T20 Vitality Blast as Shadab and Haris will join national duty for three-match ODI home series against West Indies.

The games will start at 4pm in the afternoon at Multan Cricket Stadium to mitigate the weather conditions.

Pakistan will carry out their training camp in Lahore from June 1-4, before the squad moves to Multan on June 5.

West Indies will arrive in Islamabad as planned on June 6 and will travel to Multan on a charter flight.

The ODIs have been carried over from the series scheduled last December, when only the three T20Is took place, a Covid outbreak in the West Indies camp forcing the postponement of the ODIs. There will be no biosecure bubble for the series.