Pakistan cricket team captain Babar Azam on Saturday defended the changes in T20 World Cup squad and said that some players were not in form during the National T20 Cup.
“Some players were not in a fine touch during the domestic tournament. Changes were made to the squad since some players were not able to perform well,” he said in a virtual press conference from UAE.
He welcomed the inclusion of left-handed batsman Fakhar Zaman, all-rounder Shoaib Malik and Haider Ali. He said the players have benefited from the experience of playing in the National T20 Cup.
“Shoaib Malik is an experienced player who is also considered among the fit members of our squad,” he said. “However, we have to make a plan on including him in the playing XI squad.”
“However, captaining the team in a mega event is a challenging role for me,” he acknowledged.
He said when Pakistan won the T20 World Cup in 2009, it was a moment of pride for him. “We will try our best to recapture that moment again,” he said.
Speaking about conditions in the UAE, he said the team members have played a lot of cricket here. However, he emphasised the importance of the team playing impressive cricket in all three departments of the game.
