Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan on Tuesday confirmed that right-hander Babar Azam will continue opening the batting in the upcoming Champions Trophy. The eight-team tournament begins on Wednesday with the opening match between hosts Pakistan and New Zealand in Karachi. Babar recently opened the batting for Pakistan in the Tri-Series against New Zealand and South Africa. However, he failed to get going with the bat.
Babar Azam registered scores of 10, 23 and 29 in the Tri-Series. Runs have been hard to come by for the right-hander, and Babar has been stuck on 19 ODI centuries since August 2023.
Babar Azam’s last ODI ton came in August 2023, when he passed the three-figure mark against Nepal. Rizwan confirmed that Babar is comfortable with his new role and will continue opening the batting in the Champions Trophy, which is returning after almost eight years.
“Babar will continue opening the batting for us in the Champions Trophy. He is satisfied with his batting position,” Rizwan told reporters ahead of the Champions Trophy opener against New Zealand.
With this confirmation, Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman are set to open the innings for Pakistan in the Champions Trophy. At the pre-match press conference, Rizwan also said that it is not just about Babar and him, rather he wants to see a complete team effort in the tournament.
“It is not just about me and Babar Azam. Everyone is training very hard and working hard to win the Champions Trophy. We are just controlling the controlables,” said Rizwan.
Mohammad Rizwan also confirmed that pacer Haris Rauf is fit and is expected to play the match against New Zealand on Wednesday.
‘We suffered for 10 years’
An ICC event is returning to Pakistan after 29 years. Ever since the Lahore terror attack on the Sri Lankan team in 2009, no team visited Pakistan for even a bilateral series for 10 years. Slowly and gradually, cricket returned to the country, and now Pakistan is finally hosting an ICC event.
However, India will not visit Pakistan after the government did not grant permission. Rohit Sharma and co will play their matches in Dubai.
“We suffered for 10 years. No team toured Pakistan, but the team continued to perform well. There should be no doubt that our team lacks players or quality. Yes, on the day we might lose and fall behind, we are trying to give our best and perform well in the tournament,” said Rizwan.
Rizwan also rounded off the interaction by expressing his desire to see his lineup play as a unit and put in a complete team performance.
“As a captain, it feels the best when the win comes through a complete team performance. But in the recent few matches, it has boiled down to individual performances when we have won. The focus right now is on all 15 members, all 15 members are captains. I just come in front of the media or the toss,” he added.
