Saud confident of team's ability to tackle England

Saud Shakeel, vice-captain of Pakistan's Test cricket team, has addressed the recent resignations of Babar Azam and Mohammad Yousuf, as well as the team's readiness for the upcoming Test series against England.

In a pre-series press conference, Shakeel emphasized that while changes in leadership can stir discussions, the team remains focused on its performance and morale.

Regarding the resignations, Saud stated, "The selector has resigned; that is their personal decision. Babar has taken the captaincy, and it doesn't make much difference related to white-ball formats when different formats are being played. Whatever decision Babar has made is his personal choice. For now, we have the red-ball team, so it doesn't make much difference."

The middle order batter expressed confidence in the team's cohesion, noting that internal discussions have kept morale high despite recent changes. "In my opinion, we must have discussed this among ourselves as a group. These matters haven't been a topic of discussion," he said.

The conversation then shifted to the team's batting struggles, particularly in light of England's aggressive "Bazball" approach. Shakeel acknowledged the need for improvement in converting starts into substantial scores. "We are sometimes struggling a bit, but we might not have converted those big starts into larger scores. That is a small concern. We have always said that we won't play cricket by following anyone else; we will play according to our requirements."

On the fitness of star bowler Shaheen Afridi, Shakeel remarked, "You must have seen Shaheen Afridi bowling in the nets. Regarding fitness-related questions, PCB can provide more information; I can't say much about that."

When asked about the team's potential to defeat England, the vice captain was optimistic. "Yes, absolutely. If you look at the last Test series we played against England, we were very close to winning those matches but couldn't finish them. England's style of cricket gives you many opportunities to stay in the match, so we need to take advantage of that to finish the match and win the series," he stated.

Addressing concerns over England's pace bowling attack, the 29-year-old pointed out, "They don't have a particularly experienced bowling unit either; they play through a certain plan. So, we haven't thought too much about it. We will try to keep things simple and capitalize on any opportunities that come our way."

Reflecting on Pakistan's impressive undefeated home Test streak since 2021, Shakeel remained positive. "When we lose, many issues arise. However, if we look at the overall morale of the team, with the backing we have received from the coach and captain, I believe we have even more responsibilities to deliver.