Will Babar Azam hit the field in Bangladesh Test series post T20 World Cup fiasco?
Pakistan's captain Babar Azam will be available for the upcoming test series against Bangladesh, as he has started preparations for the Canada T20 League and the Bangladesh tour.
After returning from New York, the skipper is focusing on improving his fitness individually at the National Cricket Academy and will commence regular batting practice on Monday.
Pakistan's dismal performance at the recent T20 World Cup faced severe backlash from fans and experts. The team's captain Babar Azam acknowledged that their batting let them down, leading to early elimination from the tournament.
Despite the intense heat in Lahore, Babar Azam is concentrating on enhancing his fitness at home.
According to his close circles, the star batsman is not in the mood to rest and performing well in the series against Bangladesh is his top priority.
Before the series against Pakistan and Bangladesh, Babar Azam will also feature in the Canada T20 League scheduled from July 25.
Seven Pakistani cricketers, including Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Asif Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, Iftikhar Ahmed, and Mohammad Nawaz, have signed contracts for this league.
The series between Pakistan and Bangladesh is likely to be scheduled in the third week of August.
However, rumours are circulating about resting captain Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Mohammad Rizwan from the series, following their poor performance in the recent T20 World Cup, which faced severe backlash from fans and experts.
Pakistan suffered one of the biggest upsets when they lost to the United States, a tier-two team, in a Super Over. This defeat, followed by a loss to arch-rivals India, put Pakistan in a difficult position to advance to the Super Eight stage.
Babar Azam apologized to the fans for the team's poor showing, stating that it was not the fault of any individual player, but a "collective mistake."
All-rounder Imad Wasim also called for a complete reset of Pakistan's approach to white-ball cricket, as the team lacked the required game awareness and common sense in the modern fast-paced format.
The Pakistan Cricket Board has promised major changes to the team following their early exit from the T20 World Cup, indicating that tough decisions may be made regarding the leadership and composition of the national side.