DUBLIN: With the T20 World Cup in mind, Pakistan captain Babar Azam says that the team will continue to play with the same positive intent against England which the green-shirts displayed in the last two games of the Ireland series that ended on Tuesday.

In a post-match conversation with the PCB YouTube channel in Dublin on Tuesday night, Babar said the team had improved on many areas of the game during the series, in batting as well as bowling.

“We will carry the same momentum in the [forthcoming] T20 series against England,” Babar said.

Pakistan bagged the three-match T20 series 2-1 in Dublin after winning the third game by six wickets through extraordinary performances from fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi, Babar and wicket-keeper/batter Mohammad Rizwan.

The tourists after electing to field first chased down 179 in 17 overs courtesy belligerent strokeplay from Babar (75 off 42 balls) and opener Rizwan (56 off 38). Babar’s ruthless knock featured six fours and five sixes, including four in one over of leg-spinner Ben White.

Earlier, Shaheen excelled with the ball claiming three wickets for just 14 runs to help Pakistan take control after Ireland had raced to 100-mark in the 11th over for the loss of just one wicket. Captain Lorcan Tucker (73 off 41) leading the way.

Pakistan are now due to leave for England, the incumbent T20 world champions, to play a four-match T20 series there from May 22 to 30 after which the green-shirts embark on the T20 World Cup which will be staged in West Indies and the US from June 1 to 29.

On the improvements, Babar said Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman had given good performances in the middle order in the second and third T20s against Ireland, adding that their form was a good omen for the country.

“We were struggling in the lower middle order [in the past] but Azam Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed played good knocks during the series,” the right-handed batter stated.

“The team played with a positive intent after defeat in the first game against Ireland and they achieved the game plan they were given,” he said, adding that the tourists had struggled after the first six overs of powerplay in the first match of the series but overcame the weakness in the last two games.

The skipper hailed senior bowlers Shaheen and Mohammad Amir who led from the front in the last two T20s, while acknowledging that young Abbas Afridi has acclimatised well to the pressure of international cricket.

Babar was all praise for Imad Wasim for playing an important role in the Ireland series, saying the seasoned all-rounder rescued the team from difficult situations with his bowling. Imad, a slow left-arm orthodox spinner, had announced retirement from international cricket late last year before making himself available for national duty after this year’s edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

Babar resolved to make amends for the mistakes committed during the Ireland series, adding that there are only four matches prior to the departure for T20 World Cup.

On the fans who witnessed the T20 series in Dublin, the Pakistan captain said that the team enjoyed great support from the fans at the Castle Avenue ground, acknowledging that Pakistan fans had travelled from across Europe to watch them play in Ireland.

Published in Dawn, May 16th, 2024