Babar Azam talks about Hassan Ali, strategy for England series

Pakistan's white-ball captain, Babar Azam, opened up after Pakistan clinched the series against Ireland with a thrilling victory in the third T20I in Dublin on Tuesday.

Babar highlighted the strategic decisions made in third T20I, including resting Naseem Shah and granting Hassan Ali a chance to play, aiming to experiment with their bowling lineup.

“We rested Naseem [Shah] and gave a game to Hassan Ali. We were struggling in middle overs, so we wanted to try a different combination,” Babar said.

“If we talk more about bowling, Imad Wasim is bowling very well in difficult situations. Amir is playing a perfect role as a senior bowler. Abbas Afridi is also learning how to bowl in different situations,” he said.

Turning to batting prowess, Babar commended Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Rizwan's exceptional performances, while expressing optimism about Iftikhar Ahmed and Azam Khan in the lower batting order.

“Apart from brilliance from Fakhar and Rizwan, the batting of Iftikhar Ahmed and Azam Khan in the lower order has been promising,” Babar said.

“You will continue to see positive intent from batters during England series and we will try to maintain this momentum,” he said.

It is worth noting that the Men in Green have won the three-match T20I series against Ireland 2-1. Their next series before the World Cup 2024 is against England, where they are scheduled to play a four-match T20I series starting from 22nd May.

England vs Pakistan T20I series:

May 22: First T20I in Leeds (10:30pm PST)

May 25: Second T20I in Birmingham (6:30pm PST)

May 28: Third T20I in Cardiff (10:30pm PST)

May 30: Fourth T20I at The Oval, London (10:30pm PST)