Pakistan cricket team’s all-format captain Babar Azam rubbished on Thursday all rumours surrounding his captaincy.
The rumour mill started churning when the newly-elected Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ramiz Raja said during his debut press conference that he will assess Babar’s performance before taking any decision with regards to his captaincy.
The word was that Ramiz had already made up his mind and wanted Babar to step down as Test captain to ease off some of the burden from the star batsman.
However, when asked about the development during a virtual press conference ahead of the One-Day International (ODI) series against New Zealand, Babar said he had no knowledge on this matter.
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“I have no idea about it so far,” he said, adding that he had no such conversation with Ramiz Raja at the moment.
“I’m solely focused on the task ahead as Pakistan’s captain in all three formats.”
To a question about his reported difference with the chief selector Mohammad Wasim over the T20 World Cup squad, Babar said the chairman and the chief selector had previously clarified those reports.
“I had input that I gave. This is not anyone’s team, this is Pakistan’s team. I am backing it and others should also do so.”
He said that the team’s preparation for the series is in full swing and that they are not taking the second-string New Zealand team lightly.
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“You cannot take any team easy,” he said. “[Of course], if they had their main players, we would have enjoyed more.”
New Zealand cricket board had to send a second-string squad as their key players including skipper Kane Williamson were busy with the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the UAE.
He said that the series will help their practice for the upcoming World Cup as the conditions in Rawalpindi and Islamabad will be similar to the ones in the Middle East.
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