Pakistan Cricket team’s Director Mohammad Hafeez Saturday said former captain Babar Azam is a hard worker and trains hard in practice sessions, but needs a “big” innings to restore his confidence.
The veteran cricketer’s statement during a post-match presser in Australia after the Green Shirts lost their third and final match in the Test series against the Aussies, keeping the score 3-0.
“A big innings will restore his confidence. Red ball cricket brings sophistication to the game. A red-ball cricketer can play all formats,” Hafeez said, adding that red-ball cricket polishes the skills of cricketers.
The team director appreciated the former skipper for playing well in matches but also hinted at letting Babar rest. He said it is important to consider what the former skipper himself wishes. He
Hafeez maintained that the management is there for Babar if requires any help. “Not necessarily to rest, [he] can talk about improving any technique.”
Speaking about Shaheen Shah Afridi, the veteran cricketer said the pacer himself sought rest ahead of the third Test.
“[We] rested Shaheen Afridi due to workload. We didn’t want him to suffer any injuries due to the workload. Shaheen’s return after injury put a lot of load on him,” he said, adding that the management doesn’t want to ruin anyone’s career due to workload.
“The impression that Shaheen was rested because of the T20 series is wrong,” he added.
Meanwhile, the veteran batter acknowledged pacer Naseem Shah’s talent but said he was replaced by Aamer Jamal, as he is suffering from injury.
