Pakistan captain Babar Azam on Saturday opened up ahead of the first Test against Sri Lanka — which will begin Pakistan’s World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 campaign.
Azam, ranked number three in Test, has stated that the team is taking one step at a time. He also praised the mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed who took 11 wickets in his Test debut against England at Multan in 2022.
“Really excited to be back in red-ball format and all eyes are on the Galle Test as we are prepared and ready for the challenge,” Pakistan captain Babar Azam said, adding: “We are taking one step at a time, but we have to be consistent across all formats.
“One of the positives going into the Galle Test is 13 of our players were here 12 months ago. Abrar Ahmed has identified himself as a good option in our combination. I am sure this tour will be a good learning curve for him as we have high hopes from him in this and future series.”
Talking about Shaheen Afridi — who is just one wicket away from completing his century of wickets in Test — Azam said that the pacer cannot wait to return to Test cricket.
“I am particularly pleased with the return of Shaheen Shah Afridi. Besides his wicket-taking abilities, his presence always motivates and lifts the side. I know Shaheen has badly missed red-ball cricket and is now hungry for Test cricket.”
“Like any host country, Sri Lanka will like to play to their strength, which is spin bowling. We have had good feedback about the Sri Lanka side from their former coach Mickey Arthur and I think we are well-prepared to take them on. We will stick to basics and be patient as this is Test cricket, which is a test of skills, temperament and stamina.
“Test results in the past 12 months may not have been in our favour, but we have definitely developed and grown as a side,” he concluded.
Pakistan last visited to Sri Lanka to play a two-match Test series in 2022 which was drawn 1-1.
Pakistan won the first Test as the visitors chased down the 342-run target at Galle with Abdullah Shafique scoring his career-best 160 while Sri Lanka managed to draw the series with a 246-run victory in the second Test.
Squads
Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan, Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Afridi and Shan Masood
Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Nishan Madushka, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Matthews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva, Pathum Nissanka, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Kamindu Mendis, Ramesh Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Praveen Jayawickrama, Kasun Rajitha, Dilshan Madushanka, Vishwa Fernando, Lakshitha Manasinghe
Itinerary of Pakistan’s tour of Sri Lanka:
16-20 July – First Test at Galle International Cricket Stadium
24-28 July – Second Test at Singhalese Sports Club, Colombo
- Babar Azam