LAHORE
\nPakistan failure to win a trophy under Babar Azam\u2019s captaincy was under the spotlight once again when the side\u2019s skipper addressed a press conference hours ahead of the team\u2019s departure to Dublin here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Monday.
\nThe national team is headed to the Ireland capital to play three Twenty20 Internationals from May 10-14 against the hosts. The series will be followed by Babar and co.\u2019s four games in England from May 22-30 before they fly out to Dallas to feature in the T20 World Cup, set to be held in the United States and the Caribbean in June.
\nPakistan narrowly missed out on the T20 showpiece\u2019s trophy when it\u2019s last edition was held in Australia in 2022, losing out to England in the final.
\nIt wasn\u2019t the first time the team had failed to achieve silverware under Babar\u2019s leadership; Pakistan had gone down in the semi-finals in the previous edition and had been knocked out of the T20 Asia Cup by Sri Lanka months earlier. Pakistan\u2019s 50-over World Cup trip to India was also a forgettable one.
\nBabar wants to keep all those memories behind himself.
\n\u201cPast is past. though in the past our aim and focus and goal was also the same\u2019 to bring the trophy home, but unfortunately we could not finish well,\u201d he said. \u201cBut we have double the confidence and belief that we will do it this time.\u201d
\nThe last six months saw Babar stepping down as the Pakistan captain after the 50-over World Cup, pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi taking charge of the T20 side, before his predecessor being reinstated by the country\u2019s cricket board as the side\u2019s white-ball skipper again.
\nThe Pakistan Cricket Board\u2019s administration under chairman Mohsin Naqvi also convinced veteran all-rounder Imad Wasim and pacer Mohammad Amir to withdraw their respective international retirement decisions before bringing the duo back especially for the T20 World Cup.
\nThe PCB also appointed Gary Kirsten as the Pakistan head coach, though the South African will join the side ahead of the England tour with his deputy Azhar Mahmood to lead the backroom staff.
\nThe reorganised, seven-member selection committee appointed by Mohsin has included a number of players \u2014 along with Amir and Imad \u2014 to the squad, while pacer Haris Rauf has also returned from injury, boosting the options at Babar\u2019s disposal.
\nThe batter believed each player was selected after thorough discussion among the selectors \u2014 which include Babar himself and the Pakistan head coach.
\n\u201cIt is the best combination (in all the departments) and every player is selected after considering his utility,\u201d noted the Pakistan captain. \u201cEven I am thinking we are spoilt for choice in terms of selection especially in the fast bowling department after the induction of Mohammad Amir.\u201d
\nBabar\u2019s observation of Haris in Pakistan\u2019s preparatory camp ahead of the tour to the British Isles \u2014 which ended Monday \u2014 had also made him upbeat about Pakistan\u2019s prospects in the T20 World Cup.
\nThe 29-year-old said Haris worked hard during the training camp and looked fit and hungry for action after making a comeback following an injury that he picked up during the Pakistan Super League earlier this year.
\n\u201cSome time a break from the cricket gives you more freshness both mentally and physically as you feel more keen to play,\u201d said Babar of Haris.
\nWhile Kirsten is yet to join the Pakistan camp, Babar said the coach was in touch with the players as he looks to wrap up the Indian Premier League season with Gujrat Titans.
\nThe Pakistan skipper said he would be ready to follow the head coach\u2019s instructions for the betterment of the team.
\n\u201cIf Gary Kristen will have special plan in reshuffling the batting line-up it will be discussed properly to take the best decision in the favour of the team and there will be no ego problem for any player including me,\u201d he noted, while wishing Kirsten joins as early as possible.
\nPakistan adopted a rotation policy in their recent five-match T20I series against New Zealand to test a number of new players including Usman Khan and Irfan Khan Niazi to find out solutions for their middle-order problems.
\nWhile Usman, Irfan and even Azam Khan, who failed to feature in the games against the BlackCaps due to injury, are part of the squad for the Ireland and England series, Babar suggested there were low chances the players will be rotated, given the T20 World Cup was round the corner.
\n\u201cNow we will give maximum chances to those players who will be rated as first choice to be included in the 15-member World Cup squad and there is no more rotation policy,\u201d he observed.
\nThe Pakistan team departed for Dublin in the wee hours of Tuesday but Amir did not travel along with the team as his visa was still in process.
\nMoreover, Pakistan\u2019s jersey for the T20 World Cup was also launched in a ceremony here on Monday and was attended by Babar, Shaheen, Naseem Shah and Mohammad Rizwan \u2014 the quartet donning the \u201cMatrix Jersey\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LAHORE Pakistan failure to win a trophy under Babar Azam\u2019s captaincy was under the spotlight once again when the side\u2019s skipper addressed a press conference hours ahead of the team\u2019s departure to Dublin here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Monday. The national team is headed to the Ireland capital to play three Twenty20 Internationals from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":405514,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-405496","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n