T20 World Cup: Babar Azam to test batters against Namibia

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam said Tuesday he wanted to test the batters against Nambia after he won the toss and elected to bat first at Abu Dhabi.

"We have not changed our squad [...] we want to test our batters and that is why we have decided to bat first," the skipper said after he won the toss.

Warning against complacency

Azam, in a video shared by the International Cricket Council (ICC), had earlier said the team could not afford to be complacent at any stage in the T20 World Cup ahead of the Namibia clash.

“In a tournament like this, we will have to be at our best in every game and perform with consistency. We can’t be complacent at any stage against any team because the moment you give a bit of margin to your opponent, they will be in a position to snatch the game away from you, so we will have to be at our best,” the skipper advised his teammates.

The Pakistani team will cement its place in the semi-finals after a victory in today’s match against Namibia, but the skipper has warned the side against complacency.

Playing XI

Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Babar Azam (captain), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi.

Namibia: Stephan Baard, Michael van Lingen, Craig Williams, Gerhard Erasmus (capt), David Wiese, JJ Smit, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Zane Green (wk), Jan Frylinck, Ruben Trumpelmann, Ben Shikongo