Shan Masood: “Babar Azam is our main player”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood has thrown his support behind batsman Babar Azam, saying he is the team’s “main player.”
Azam has been Pakistan’s most consistent run-scorer for the past few years and has repeatedly carried the men in green across the finish line.
However, the 29-year-old hasn’t been at his best lately, even though he has shown flashes of brilliance.
In the three-match Test series against Australia, the Lahore native was restricted to 126 runs at an average of 21.
He had a better showing in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand as he amassed 213 runs, which included three fifties, at an average of 42.60 and a strike-rate of 142.
“Babar Azam is our main player,” Masood was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Azam will now captain the Peshawar Zalmi in the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL), while Masood will lead the Karachi Kings.
PSL 9 will take place from February 17 to March 18 in four cities – Lahore, Multan, Karachi and Rawalpindi.
Peshawar Zalmi Squad for PSL 9: Babar Azam (captain), Rovman Powell, Saim Ayub, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Asif Ali, Mohammad Haris, Aamer Jamal, Naveen-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Salman Irshad, Arif Yaqoob, Umair Afridi, Dan Mousley, Haseebullah Khan, Mohammad Zeeshan, Mehran Mumtaz, Luke Wood, Sufiyan Muqeem, Waqar Salamkheil, Arshad Iqbal, Gus Atkinson, Shamar Joseph
Karachi Kings Squad for PSL 9: Shan Masood (captain), Kieron Pollard, Daniel Sams, Mohammad Nawaz, James Vince, Hasan Ali, Tim Seifert, Shoaib Malik, Tabraiz Shamsi, Mir Hamza, Muhammad Akhlaq, Mohammad Amir Khan, Anwar Ali, Arafat Minhas, Irfan Khan, Sirajuddin, Saad Baig, Jamie Overton, Leus du Plooy, Mohammad Rohid, Zahid Mahmood
[TS_Poll id=”111″]