Babar Azam on Thursday said that the team is in good spirits and will try to keep up the momentum.
Talking to journalists in his pre-series press conference, the skipper said that it would have been better if they had a batting coach with the team as the conditions were tough, but it was the board’s decision and the boys would try to make the best use of available resources.
Azam said that he was confident and backed the boys to do well in the test series against Bangladesh, which would kick off today in Chittagong.
“There are no individuals in the dressing room but a team. It’s a team effort and the boys are responding well so it’s easy for me as a captain,” he added.
Azam said that it was important to switch from a shorter format to the longer one and that he personally believed that test cricket was the epitome of the game.
Regarding test championship he said, “I am confident and the way we have been performing is a good omen and we will try to do our best.”
“We have a consistent team and the boys have been playing together for quite some time and we are hopeful of a good start,” the skipper added.
About the opposition, Azam said, “We cannot rule out any opposition, Bangladesh are a good bunch of players and the conditions are also tough.”
“Senior players like Fawad Alam and Azhar Ali are vital for us and I have a firm belief in the group,” he said.
Azam emphasised the need to be patient in the longer format of the game. “We had very little time but we are trying our best to adapt to the longer format. Patience is the key in the longer format and we will try to be patient,” he added.
Talking about his personal performance, he said that he was not able to perform in the T20 series but it was not a given that he would perform in every match. “I have a team and if I don’t perform, other members chip in.”
Talking about spinners, he said that the experienced bowlers would be helpful as Asian pitches also helped them. He furthered that our players were in-form and had been playing a lot of domestic cricket, so there was hope for good performances.
Azam said that the team would go hard at the opposition. Talking about absentees from the Bangladesh squad, he remarked that the opposition still could not be taken lightly. He said that the conditions were difficult, but the team had an experienced batting line up and he was confident that players would be able to handle the situation very well.
