Watch: Babar Azam issues clarification over ‘unhappy with ODI squad’ rumor

In recent times, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has been rumored to have a strong disagreement over the ODI squad against New Zealand. The newly-formed selection committee, led by Shahid Afridi announced the 21-man probable squad for the ODI series against the Kiwis. It was done during the Boxing Day Test between the two teams in Karachi. Meanwhile, it was rumored that Azam was unhappy with the squad and had a ‘fight’ with Afridi.

After the Test match ended, the Pakistan skipper was asked about the same by the journalists. To which, the Lahore player dodged the question and said “I don’t think it’s the right time to talk about it. When the ODIs will start, we will see.” After this, a senior journalist asked whether the changes in the PCB bother the team’s environment as claimed by the ousted chairperson, Ramiz Raja. On this, Babar replied by saying that these changes won’t affect the team. He added that their job is to perform on the field.

“With all that’s happening, we are trying to not let it affect the team. Our job is to play and perform. Our focus is on the series against New Zealand, not on what’s going on outside the team. If we start focussing on outside things, our performance will go down,” said Babar.

Watch the video here

Meanwhile, it is important to note that the ODI squad for the three-match ODI series is not final. There will be some changes made after the new year’s Test match between Pakistan and New Zealand, starting on January 2.

Probables: Babar Azam (captain), Abdullah Shafiq, Abrar Ahmed, Aamer Jamal, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Ihsanullah, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Qasim Akram, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shahnawaz Dahani, Shan Masood, Sharjeel Khan, and Tayyab Tahir