His batting position for Champions Trophy had been a debatable topic recently.
During a pre-match press conference, Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan confirmed that Babar Azam will continue playing as an opener in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. Rizwan believes that Babar is, in fact, happy with his position.
“We have options, but if you look at the combination, Babar will continue opening the batting for us in the Champions Trophy. He is satisfied with his batting position. We want to bring genuine openers, but it is our home conditions, we want a left-right combination. Hence, we decided to have Babar Azam as an opener as he is technically sound batter,” said Rizwan.
The former captain’s batting position has recently become a debatable topic. Pakistan will begin their Champions Trophy campaign with a Group A match against New Zealand in Karachi on Wednesday.
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Babar endured a string of poor scores in the recently concluded tri-series that involved New Zealand and South Africa. Opening in all games, he aggregated just 62 runs from three matches, with his highest score being 23 against South Africa. He hasn’t scored an ODI century since August 2023 when he slammed 151 against Nepal in the Asia Cup.
Rizwan stressed that the entire team must step up and not just himself and Babar.
“It is not just about me and Babar Azam. Everyone is training very hard and working hard to win the Champions Trophy. We are just controlling the controllables,” he stated.
Pakistan is hosting an ICC tournament for the first time in 29 years, having previously co-hosted the 1996 ODI World Cup with India and Sri Lanka. Due to terrorist attacks in 2008 in India, no team toured Pakistan for a decade since 2009. Over the years, many teams have gradually returned to touring the country.
“We suffered for 10 years. No team toured Pakistan, but the team continued to perform well. There should be no doubt that our team lacks players or quality. Yes, on the day we might lose and fall behind, we are trying to give our best and perform well in the tournament,” said the wicketkeeper-batter.
Furthermore, Rizwan reiterated that he wishes to see Pakistan perform as a unit.
“As a captain, it feels the best when the win comes through a complete team performance. But in the recent few matches, it has boiled down to individual performances when we have won. The focus right now is on all 15 members, all 15 members are captains. I just come in front of the media or the toss,” stated the 32-year-old.
Pakistan’s match against New Zealand on Wednesday will be followed by games against India (February 20 in Dubai) and Bangladesh (February 27 in Rawalpindi).
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