Babar raring to go, says Salman

ISLAMABAD: Babar Azam hopes to return to international cricket with a bang after he was dropped for two Test matches.

Salman Ali Agha, the national team vice-captain, said in Melbourne on Saturday that Babar, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah were keen to make impressive returns to international cricket. “They were rested for the series against England considering many factors and were not dropped. Now the trio is keen to make a thumping return to international cricket. They have worked hard and are very positive for a resounding return to international cricket.”

He praised Babar as someone who always extends a helping hand on the field. “He always helps the captain and seniors whenever the crunch time comes.”

Salman hoped for a positive return to one-day cricket. “We have not played ODI cricket for almost a year now. But I am confident that since every cricketer played some cricket in recent times it will help them get into top groove in the series,” he said.

On Champions Trophy preparations, he said that the event is more than four months away. “Champion Trophy is four months away. At the moment we are only concentrating on the series in Australia which is our first challenge.”

On Pakistan’s T20 World Cup performance, Salman said Pakistan now have a totally new team. “Since then a lot has changed. We only have seven or eight players who were there. It is a new team facing fresh challenges and targets.”

Salman praised Australia as one of the toughest oppositions on home soil. “They are good at home. Obviously, it is a challenging series where we want to make a point. We have got fast bowlers capable of bowling over 140kph. They are good enough to pose a challenge to Australia.”

On the team’s selection for the opening ODI on Monday (tomorrow), Salman said nothing has been finalised as yet. “We have not discussed the line-up for the opening ODI. Besides the selection committee, the team captain will also have a say in finalising the playing XI for each match.”