Pakistan cricket team’s captain, Babar Azam, spoke out about the comments and tweets made by his teammates, Mohammad Rizwan and Imam ul Haq, during the recently concluded five-match ODI series between Pakistan and New Zealand, which the hosts won 4-1.
Babar shared his thoughts on his teammates’ statements and clarified the team’s stance on the matter during the post-match press conference following the fifth ODI in Karachi.
Rizwan had expressed his desire to bat at number four in the batting order prior to the third ODI in a press conference in Karachi, saying he is not happy batting at number five.
Pakistan captain, however, took a more measured approach to the situation and said that Rizwan shared his wish to bat up in the order but also emphasized that the players were well aware of the team’s requirements and priorities.
“Rizwan said it’s my wish to play at four but we will have to keep the team’s requirement in mind and that’s how we will communicate with the players. This is a team where no player says I want to play at this specific number,” Babar said.
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“Everyone is playing for Pakistan and Rizwan has performed at both batting positions. Every player is striving for the team’s win and Rizwan is one of the best players…he has won us many games,” he added.
Imam, on the other hand, posted a cryptic tweet on Sunday morning that drew a lot of attention from fans who thought the opener was disappointed after being dropped in the fourth and fifth ODIs against the Kiwis.
“Life is an unexpected journey so never expect anything from anyone”. Be patient, Allah is watching❗️
— Imam Ul Haq (@ImamUlHaq12) May 7, 2023
Babar stated that the team’s unity is strong, and they have a culture of resolving internal conflicts within the team rather than taking them public.
“I haven’t checked my phone and have no idea what Imam has tweeted.” Our team is united, and there are no disgruntled players. “We try to resolve our issues within ourselves rather than taking them outside,” Babar said in response to a question about Imam’s aforementioned tweet.
“We are like a family, and we have a high level of trust.” “I don’t think Imam’s tweet was related to his exclusion from the final two ODIs,” he added.
