Ahead of Australia series, Shaheen hopeful Babar's form from PSL will continue

Pakistan ODI captain Shaheen Shah Afridi expressed hope on Friday that Babar Azam, who had been recalled for the upcoming three-match series against Australia, would continue his PSL form. In the 11th HBL Pakistan Super League edition that concluded earlier this month, Babar finished as the highest run-getter for the season and also led his side, Peshawar Zalmi, to lifting the trophy . He also struck two spectacular centuries in the season against Quetta Gladiators and Islamabad United. Babar’s return to form in the PSL followed a disappointing T20 World Cup campaign by Pakistan, during which the former captain was seen struggling. Subsequently, he was not included in the squad for the away ODI series against Bangladesh in March. After he was recalled for the Australia series, scheduled from May 30 to June 4 in Rawalpindi and Lahore, Shaheen said during a press conference on Sunday that Babar had been the “backbone” of Pakistan’s middle order. “We hope that his form from PSL continues and he wins matches for Pakistan,” the skipper added. On the inclusion of new players in the team for the series, he said selectors had been trying to giving young players a chance for the past two to three series so that “we have more opportunities” while selecting the team for the World Cup. He was also asked for his opinion on Coach Mike Hesson’s statements that some players were unable to “give their 100 per cent” and efforts were needed to optimise their performance. Shaheen responded by saying everyone should work on improving their performance and the coach would have spoken to the players he was talking about. Speaking for himself, he said he “does not note any player individually … I focus on the performance as a team. But the head coach sees things differently, he must have spoken to those players and they should improve”. In response to a question about fast bowlers not being able to keep up the pace that the Pakistani side is known for, Shaheen...

Original source: Dawn Pakistan