Adil Rashid: “I enjoy bowling to everybody as a bowler you have to be careful against each player. But I especially enjoy bowling to Babar Azam because he’s a class player”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
England spinner Adil Rashid said he enjoys the challenge of bowling to Pakistan limited overs captain Babar Azam since he is a “class player.”
Azam has been Pakistan’s most dominant batsman in all three formats for the last few years and has repeatedly won games single-handedly.
Acknowledging the threat the 29-year-old poses, Rashid knows how important it will be to get him out early when England and Pakistan meet in a four-match T20I series from May 22 to May 30.
“I enjoy bowling to everybody as a bowler you have to be careful against each player. But I especially enjoy bowling to Babar Azam because he’s a class player,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Azam recently led Pakistan in their five-match T20I series against New Zealand and accumulated 125 runs in five games, which included a top score of 69, at an average of 31.25 and a strike-rate of 138.88.
He then featured in a three-match T20I series against Ireland and scored 132 runs, which included two fifties, at an average of 44 and a strike-rate of 148.31
The first T20I between Pakistan and England will be held in Leeds.
Pakistan Squad for Ireland and England T20I Series:Â Babar Azam (capt), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan