ISLAMABAD (AP) 鈥� Babar Azam vows not to compromise on discipline, fitness and performance of the Pakistan red-ball team during his second stint as test captain.
as test skipper on Sunday after strings of poor results in red-ball saw Pakistan losing 12 of its last 16 test matches. Babar will lead Pakistan in two test matches against the West Indies later this month which will be followed by three-test series in England.
鈥淢y main focus is on three things: discipline, fitness and performance,鈥� Babar told former Pakistan captain Salman Butt in Pakistan Cricket Board鈥檚 digital show 鈥楽traight Drive鈥�, aired on Monday.
鈥淭hese will matter a lot for me as captain and for the team going forward. Whenever I get the opportunity to lead, I always try to back the players, but I will not compromise on these three things.鈥�
Pakistan did fairly well by winning 10 of the 20 test matches during Babar鈥檚 first stint as test skipper before he was replaced by Masood in late 2023. Babar scored prolifically at a healthy average of over 50 while in-charge of the test team and also won series against South Africa, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
鈥淚 have learnt a lot from my previous experience as captain and also from the time I played as a player,鈥� he said. 鈥淲ith time, you gain maturity and clarity. I am confident that this time, with good planning and a positive mindset, I will lead the team well.鈥�
While Masood was retained as top-order batter, the selectors have dropped Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and spinner Noman Ali for the tours of West Indies and England.
Naseem鈥檚 younger brother Ubaid Shah got his maiden call for test matches while medium fast bowlers Mohammad Abbas and Mohammad Ali will be supported by fast bowling all-rounder Aamir Jamal.
鈥淭his is a young team with some of the best performers from domestic cricket,鈥� Babar said. 鈥淎s a senior player and captain, my job is to keep them relaxed and back them in difficult times. International cricket is a pressure game, so I try to take pressure off the youngsters by speaking to them on and off the field.鈥�
Babar felt Pakistan fell short in fitness at times during test matches over the last two years and that鈥檚 why the PCB setup a three-week red-ball camp for 24 players soon after the team was .
鈥淭his camp was very important for us as a team, as players and as a group,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n test cricket, we felt that we were lagging behind in fitness at times, whether in batting, bowling or fielding. In this camp, our focus was fitness, fielding and patience. Training in tough conditions helps players become stronger and prepares them better for match pressure.鈥�
Despite below-par results, Babar wanted the fans to continue supporting the team.
鈥淭he expectations of fans are always high and we know they want Pakistan to perform well in every match,鈥� he said. 鈥淪ometimes as a team, you execute your plans and sometimes you do not get the desired results. That is the beauty of the game, you learn from both winning and losing. We expect the fans to support us and we will try our best to meet their expectations.鈥�
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