Pakistan will host the West Indies for three ODIs starting June 9.
Skipper Babar Azam is confident that Pakistan will comfortably win against the West Indies in the home series starting June 8. Speaking on the challenges of playing in high temperatures, the batting superstar said that the players are putting in the hard yards in the conditioning camp.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) earlier this month said that the upcoming three-match One Day Internationals will be a day-night affair due to the heatwave in the country. However, no developments regarding the same have been confirmed so far. The games will be played on June 8, 10, and 12 respectively.
It is not easy to play in high temperatures: Babar Azam
“We are confident about winning the series against West Indies. It is not easy to play in high temperatures which is why players are putting in the hard yards in the ongoing conditioning camp,” said Babar Azam while speaking to the media at the National High-Performance Center in Lahore as quoted by Cricket Pakistan.
“I always try to perform in a manner which helps the team. Planning is important when playing in different conditions. I also try to remain calm when I enter the field,” he said.
The Men In Green had whitewashed the West Indies in the preceding three-match T20I series, which was played in December last year. However, the ODI series was forced to be postponed after multiple cases of COVID-19 were confirmed by the West Indies team and support staff. Later it was officially confirmed that the ODIs would take place in June this year.
Meanwhile, the PCB selectors have also reduced the total number of players in the squad to 16 from 21 with several players including the likes of Asif Afridi, middle-order sensation Asif Ali, Haider Ali, and Usman Qadir being left out. An injury concern has ruled Saud Shakeel out of the upcoming series as the emerging cricketer is scheduled to undergo surgery for sinusitis.
Pakistan squad for West Indies ODIs
Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan (vc), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper/batter), Mohammad Wasim Junior, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, Zahid Mahmood
