Babar Azam, Pakistan captain, admitted that his team needs to improve if it is to be a force in One Day International cricket.
They won a 3-0 series sweep of West Indies at home by Pakistan’s in-form side. They have also lost only one 50-over match in this calendar year.
Babar says his team still has a lot of work ahead of them if they are to qualify for next year’s tournament automatically and win the 50-over World Cup title.
Babar stated that “we still need to improve on certain areas” after the series win, which saw Pakistan surpass India and climb into fourth place in the Men’s MRF Tyres ODI Team Rankings.
“We still lose wickets at the middle, which puts us on our back foot.
“Here, the players need to be more focused; it’s something that we should work on.
“While fielding has improved, our body language can still be a problem when there is a good partnership. This is something we can work on.”
The recent surge in Pakistan is due to Babar’s form as an ODI batsman. He recently became the second player to score three consecutive centuries on two occasions.
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Babar Azam is aware that Pakistan needs the support of the whole side to succeed. The right-hander was encouraged by the performances of his teammates during the series against West Indies.
Opener Imam-ul-Haq scored three consecutive half-centuries, and was rightly awarded Player of Series. Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan took seven wickets each to be the joint top wicket-taker.
Babar was also impressed by Khushdil Shah’s powerful hitting as the 27-year old continues to make a name himself in the last overs of an innings.
“Bench strength always gives you a lift,” Babar noted.
It is helpful to know that you have players who are available to play.
“We had Iftikhar, Abdullah Shafique, and (Shahnawaz] Dahani at the bench.
“We tried a new bowling combination and they performed very nicely.
“It’s very satisfying to be a captain to witness that.”
