‘Sharjeel can’t become Shadab, will work on his fitness’ Babar

LAHORE: Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam defended Sharjeel Khan’s fitness and selection in the T20I squad for South Africa and Zimbabwe tours. 

Speaking to reporters in a virtual conference on Friday, Babar said he especially wanted to include Sharjeel in the shorter format as he can change the game any day.

“There is a lot of discussion on Sharjeel’s fitness. I don’t know why you guys underrate his fitness too much. I think he is a match-winner and can win us the match any day,” he said.

“He cannot become Shadab Khan immediately, yes his weight is a bit concern but we will work on it,” he mentioned.

Read: Rashid questions Imad, Shan’s exclusion from squads for SA, ZIM tours

Rift with Mohammad Wasim

Babar indicated that someone has leaked an in-house discussion that had given this issue hype on media. “Every time you discuss the options for selection. There is always a healthy debate on the selection of players but I think that should remain behind closed doors. I don’t know how these things came out and became a debate on media,” he shared.

Experience as captain

As a captain, Babar is confident to lead the side from the front and carry winning momentum from winning the home series.

“It has been a couple of months now as captain and I have learnt a lot so far. My dream is to take this team on top in all three formats,” he said.

“We have included some new players who have now a chance to prove themselves. There is always healthy competition between the players. We have set targets for every player and plan according to their strength,” he concluded.

Read: Sharjeel, Hafeez return as squads for SA, Zim tours announced