Fakhar Zaman reveals his favorite batting partner

Pakistan's hard-hitting batter Fakhar Zaman has expressed his preference for batting alongside white-ball skipper Babar Azam. 

In a recent interview with a local sports platform, Zaman praised Babar for his ability to effortlessly rotate the strike and ease the pressure during matches.

"I have played Tests, ODIs, and T20s, and I have also batted with about 11 or 12 partners. The experience has been different in each format, but honestly, I enjoy batting the most with Babar Azam," Fakhar said.

"Babar minimizes dot balls, so there's less pressure on me. Even though I play aggressively, my job is to make the game easier for the non-striker. Whenever I have played with Babar, I feel that he makes it easier for me as well because it's not necessary to score runs by hitting boundaries every time, the way he rotates the strike or capitalizes on loose balls for boundaries brings me joy and makes playing with him a delightful experience," he added.

It is worth noting that Babar Azam-led Pakistan team faces challenging matches in preparation for the T20 World Cup 2024 scheduled in the USA and West Indies with three T20I series ahead. They will first host New Zealand in April and then travel to Europe for matches against Ireland and the reigning T20 World Champions, England, in May.

Additionally, Pakistan had plans for a three-match T20I series against Netherlands during their European tour. However, the series has been postponed indefinitely following the PCB's request.

The New Zealand team is set to arrive in Pakistan on April 14th for the five-match T20 series commencing on April 18th, with three matches scheduled in Pindi and the remaining two in Lahore.

Pakistan squad:

Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saim Ayub, Usman Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Azam Khan (wk), Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Amir, Abbas Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Fakhar Zaman, Irfan Khan Niazi, Usama Mir, Zaman Khan

Reserves: Haseebullah, Mohammad Ali, Agha Salman, Sahibzada Farhan, Mohammad Wasim Jr

New Zealand squad:

Michael Bracewell (c), Tom Blundell, Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Jacob Duffy, Dean Foxcroft, Ben Lister, Cole McConchie, Zak Foulkes, Jimmy Neesham, Will O’Rourke, Tim Robinson, Ben Sears, Tim Seifert (WK), Ish Sodhi