Pakistan skipper Babar Azam on Thursday asked if he has grown old enough to limit himself to Test and ODI formats.
Addressing a pre-departure press conference as the team heads to the Netherlands for a three-match ODI series
The Pakistan skipper maintained that he did not think of limiting himself to two formats of cricket.
Replying to another query, he said that all India vs Pakistan clashes create pressure on players.
“We always try to play it like a normal match, but yes, there is definitely different pressure [on us],” the Pakistan skipper added.
Pakistan will play the ODI series in Amsterdam from August 16-21 and after that, they will immediately depart for the ACC T20 Asia Cup.
“There is pressure, but we tried [to keep ourselves calm in the T20 World Cup 2021 and] not [repeat the same thing] of coming under pressure,” the Pakistani captain said.
In response to a question about possible changes to the squad for the Asia Cup, the skipper said that the members have been picked keeping the “best” interest of the team in mind.
A reporter cited Pakistan’s best cricketers’ exhaustion and injuries as two factors that likely contributed significantly to their defeat by Sri Lanka in the second Test match. Babar replied that all of Pakistan’s current cricketers are in good enough physical condition to play in all three game types.
The captain claimed that as the Men in Green prepare to compete in the Asia Cup and face their bitter rivals, all India vs. Pakistan matches put pressure on the players.
“We always try to play it like a normal match, but yes, there is definitely different pressure”, he said while addressing a question.
The captain stated that the players were chosen with the “best” interest of the team in mind in answer to a query about potential alterations to the squad.
Recent performances by Babar Azam in all three game forms have been outstanding. He is actually the only cricketer to have a top-three batter ranking across all three forms according to the ICC rankings. In ODIs and T20Is, he is now in first place. In Test cricket, he is ranked third, after Joe Root of England and Marnus Labuschagne of Australia.
When asked if he would be aiming to set new records against a weak Netherlands team, Babar responded that his main goal is to help his team win games.
“I never go out to bat thinking about records. My only aim is to contribute and win matches for Pakistan,” he added.
