Don’t need to satisfy or answer anyone – Babar Azam

Pakistan all-format captain Babar Azam said that he does not have to satisfy anyone and that his job is to play cricket and perform for the team. 

Talking to media in Karachi, the national team skipper said that he is focused on winning the matches for his country and not pleasing anyone. 

“My job is to play cricket and enjoy it,” Babar said in a press conference on Sunday. “I don’t need to satisfy or answer anyone. I know what my game and responsibility is while batting or doing captaincy. I don’t need to make anyone happy; my job is to win matches for Pakistan.” 

The 28-year-old said there is no communication gap between him and the new management. “The captain, coach and chief selector are on the same page because that’s important for the betterment of the team,” he said. “We conveyed our opinion to the chief selector on the selection of players." 

Babar Azam responds to a question regarding communcation gap between captain, coaching staff and chief selector 🙌#PAKVNZ pic.twitter.com/2LD1z75cQh

— Cricket Pakistan (@cricketpakcompk) January 8, 2023

Babar said that he will decide the final playing XI after evaluating the pitch but aims to continue their strong performance in white-ball cricket. 

“I have not looked at the pitch. We will decide on our playing XI after assessing it. We will try to field our best XI,” the captain said.  

Pakistan and New Zealand will play three ODIs on Jan 9, 11 and 13 in Karachi. The Kiwis last played the format in Pakistan’s soil back in 2003 and suffered a 5-0 white-wash at the hands of hosts.