Pakistan will field ‘best combination’ in Rawalpindi Test against England: Babar

RAWALPINDI         -          Skipper Babar Azam has opened up about the Pakistan team combination for the first Test against England. The prolific batter has stated that Pakistan will field their best possible lineup for the crucial clash. “Conditions will support both teams and we will try to go with our best combination. Pacers get plenty of assistance early on and later spinners can find help too,” Babar said during a press conference held in Rawalpindi on Wednesday. The skipper also admitted that it is difficult to switch from limited-overs to red-ball cricket. “Our preparation is good. When we switch from white to red-ball cricket. There are three to four different players and the first-class tournament [Quaid-e-Azam Trophy] was underway so the remaining members have been playing red-ball cricket which will help us,” he said. “Everybody knows that there is a lot of cricket going on now and there is not much gap. The schedule is packed and there are leagues in the middle too so as a professional, we have to be proactive and the quicker we switch, the better it is. We need more time to prepare for Test cricket and we have to bring patience in us. It’s a bit difficult to adjust from T20 to Test cricket but we try to adjust as quickly as possible,” he added. The skipper also shed light on the importance of legendary batter Mohammad Yousuf as the Pakistan team’s batting coach. “It’s great to have Mohammad Yousuf on the coaching staff, as he shares his insights with us and his input is very important in our meetings. He has scored many runs against England and having legends like him with us is useful,” he said. Speaking about the viral infection that has affected the England team, Babar hoped that the visitors will field their full-strength team in the first Test. “We got to know about the illness in the opposition camp and I hope they recover soon. We want their fullstrength team to play,” he said.

ePaper - Nawaiwaqt