Babar Azam sends strong message to teammates ahead of busy schedule

NEW DELHI: Pakistan skipper Babar Azam sent a strong message to his team as they go into a crucial set of matches ahead of the ICC ODI World Cup.

Pakistan will take on Afghanistan in a three-match ODI series in Sri Lanka from August 22 and the Asia Cup will be following in a matter of days.

Babar had a simple, yet strong message, for his team ahead of the busy schedule. "My message has always been to believe in yourself and make sure that you give your hundred per cent in the field", read a post on the official X handle of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

As the team continues to search for the right combination, Babar said he feels that Pakistan has a strong momentum in their favour after the dominant Test series win in Sri Lanka.

"We enter this series with good momentum following our Test series win here and we are eager to build on it. We have a few new faces in the side and I wish them good luck for the challenges ahead. Most of the boys have been playing cricket in different leagues, but when you don the Pakistan star, it is a different feeling altogether," Babar told PCB Digital ahead of the Afghanistan series.

Pakistan named a group of 18 players for the series against Afghanistan with new faces like Tayyab Tahir stepping in and Faheem Ashraf returning to the fold.

Saud Shakeel also got a chance to mirror his Test heroics in the shorter format after being named in the squad for the three-match series.

"Tayyab Tahir had a good [Emerging Teams] Asia Cup and he performed well here in Sri Lanka and everyone saw how Saud Shakeel played Tests here. I am especially impressed by how Saud has transformed into a modern-day batter in such a quick time. This is a great sign for Pakistan cricket that he groomed himself according to the demands of the team, and whenever anyone does that, I get very happy," Babar added.