DUBLIN: Pakistan captain Babar Azam says the team will play England with the same positive attitude that the green-shirts showed in the final two games of the Ireland series that concluded on Tuesday, with an eye toward the T20 World Cup.
Babar stated that the squad has made progress in both bowling and batting during the series in a post-match interview with the PCB YouTube channel in Dublin on Tuesday night.
“We’ll have the same energy going into the [upcoming] Twenty20 series against England,” Babar declared.
After winning the third game by six wickets because to outstanding performances from fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi, batsman/wicket keeper Mohammad Rizwan, and captain Babar, Pakistan won the three-match Twenty20 series 2-1 in Dublin.
After choosing to field first, the tourists chased down 179 in 17 overs thanks to aggressive strokeplay from opener Rizwan (56 off 38 balls) and captain Babar (75 off 42 balls). Six fours and five sixes, including four in one over of leg-spinner Ben White, were part of Babar’s merciless assault.
Before Pakistan took control, Ireland had reached the hundred mark in the eleventh over with the loss of just one wicket. Shaheen had performed brilliantly with the ball, taking three wickets for just 14 runs. Leading the way is Captain Lorcan Tucker (73 off 41).
The Pakistani green shirt players are scheduled to go to England, the current T20 world champions, on May 22 and play a four-match T20 series there. Following that, they will participate in the T20 World Cup, which will take place in the US and the West Indies from June 1 to June 29.
Regarding the enhancements, Babar stated that Fakhar Zaman and Rizwan had shown promise for the nation by playing well in the middle order during the second and third Twenty20 Test matches against Ireland.
The right-handed hitter said, “We were struggling in the lower middle order [in the past], but Azam Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed played good knocks during the series.”
He stated that the tourists had struggled after the first six overs of powerplay in the series opener but had overcome the weakness in the final two games. “The team played with a positive intent after defeat in the first game against Ireland and they achieved the game plan they were given,” he said.
The captain acknowledged that young Abbas Afridi has adjusted well to the pressure of playing international cricket, but he also praised older bowlers Shaheen and Mohammad Amir for leading from the front in the last two Twenty20 matches.
Imad Wasim was praised by Babar for his significant contribution to the Ireland series, stating that the veteran all-rounder’s bowling kept the side out of trouble on several occasions. Imad, a slow-moving left-arm orthodox spinner, declared his retirement from international cricket towards the end of the previous season. However, he made himself available for national duty following the Pakistan Super League (PSL) this year.
Babar stated that there are just four games left before leaving for the T20 World Cup and vowed to atone for the faults made during the Ireland series.
The captain of Pakistan addressed the spectators at the T20 series in Dublin, expressing gratitude to them for their support. He also acknowledged that Pakistani fans had come from all over Europe to watch his side play in Ireland.
