London: Pakistan Test captain Babar Azam has confirmed he is fit to play in the second Test against England, set to begin on Thursday, August 27, at Lord’s, London. Babar missed the first Test in Leeds after suffering a finger injury to his right hand. The injury occurred during Pakistan’s warm-up match against Professional County Club Select XI in Beckenham. He had also been hit on the same hand during the second Test against West Indies earlier.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference, the Pakistan skipper said he has recovered well and is ready for the remainder of the series. “I had a couple of practice sessions. I’m 90% fit for tomorrow and the rest of the series,” Babar said.
After a heavy defeat in the opening Test, Babar stressed the need for a complete team effort to level the series.
“You need to produce complete team performances. You have to bowl and bat in partnerships. And you have to take it deep as a batter if you’re set. If you’re set, it’s a little easier. For a new batter, it’s a little bit difficult to build partnerships,” he added. The captain also clarified that Abdullah Shafique will retain his batting position on his return to the XI.
“The number Abdullah is batting, he should play there. He’s batted three and four since his comeback. He’s got confidence there, so he’ll continue there. We need to stamp out the back-to-back wickets we lose. The senior batters need to be more focused and make up for it,” Babar said.
Pakistan will be looking to bounce back at the iconic Lord’s after losing the first Test in Leeds.
