LONDON: Pakistan captain Babar Azam said he was 90 per cent fit ahead of the second Test against England at Lord’s, starting tomorrow.
Speaking to the media on the eve of the second Test, Babar said he had made good progress in training and was confident of remaining for the series remainder.
“Yesterday, I had a couple of training sessions, and after that I did my practice session. Just 90 per cent; I am fit for tomorrow’s match and the rest of the series,” Babar told reporters.
Babar said it was a special occasion for both the team and players to play at Lord’s and that Pakistan were looking forward to the Test.
“Always, special as a team and as a player, it is an honor to play at Lord’s. We are looking forward to it,” he continued.
He acknowledged that Pakistan had not performed up to the mark in the first Test but credited England for their performance.
“We are not playing up to the mark, but credit to the England team, the way they are playing. After the first match, we have sat together and discussed our mistakes. We are looking forward to tomorrow’s match.”
Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel
Regarding the playing XI and batting order, Babar said the final decisions would depend on the pitch.
“We will decide the final playing XI after seeing the pitch.”
He said the team would select players according to its requirements and aim to utilize the best available options while giving confidence to underperforming players.
“It depends what team requires. Which player is suitable. It’s a different debate. We will try to utilize our best available players and give confidence to underperforming players. It’s not that we continuously back [those players]; if they are not performing, we can go with a different combination,” the skipper explained.
Babar said senior players had a responsibility to step up, perform and help the team through difficult situations. He added that the responsibility did not rest solely on Mohammad Rizwan, but on the entire team.
“It’s not about burden; but it is our responsibility as a senior player to step in, perform, and take our team out of different situations. It’s not solely Rizwan’s responsibility; it is on the whole team to perform in required situations,” Babar concluded.
