Babar Azam: “I look at current captains like Kane Williamson and Virat Kohli, and how well they manage their own form along with bringing results to the team. I’ll try to emulate them”

Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

Pakistan Twenty20 captain Babar Azam has revealed that he is trying to emulate India skipper Virat Kohli and New Zealand captain Kane Williamson.

Azam replaced Sarfaraz Ahmed as Twenty20 captain, and his first assignment will be a three-match Twenty20 series against Australia from November 3 to 8.

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With more responsibility on his shoulders, Azam is aiming to be like Kohli and Williamson, whereby he leads Pakistan to victories as captain and score runs in the process.

“People judged in [the] three matches [against Sri Lanka] that my performance suffered because I was vice-captain,” Azam was quoted as saying by the International Cricket Council’s website. “That’s not how it works. In the game of cricket, you have ups and downs, and that was a poor series for us, no question.

“I give 120% for the team in every single match, and I don’t see why there would be any added pressure on me just because I’m the captain. I’ll continue to play as I always have, and I’m sure the performances will come.

“Moreover, I’m not just thinking I’ll be happy to play regardless of the results. I’m looking to get a performance out of my team, as well as my individual performances. I look at current captains like Kane Williamson and Virat Kohli, and how well they manage their own form along with bringing results to the team. I’ll try to emulate them.

“Every tour is tough and Australia is always a challenging place because of the extra bounce, but we will go for wins as we always do. I have toured Australia as skipper of [the] Pakistan Under-19 [team] (2012) and with the Pakistan team three years ago, so I have experience of those conditions.”

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