Pakistan captain Babar Azam has confirmed that he will not open the innings for his team in the upcoming series against England. Both teams will play four matches against each other before leaving for the T20 World Cup, which begins next week in the US and West Indies.

The series will be the last chance for Pakistan to fine-tune their preparations for the main event and one of the big decisions they have taken is to change their captain’s batting position. While Babar Azam has had a lot of success as an opener in the shortest format of the game, he has decided to drop down to the number three spot for the cause of the team.

Speaking ahead of the first T20I against England, the right-handed batsman confirmed that he would bat at number three, while Mohammad Rizwan and Saim Ayub would continue to open as they did in the recently concluded three-match series against Ireland.

“We changed our style of cricket and our mentality after losing the first T20 against Ireland. People want us to just hit fours and sixes, but we have to play according to the situation.” Babar said.

“You will see our planning in this series, but yes, we can make one or more changes depending on the conditions or what is required. But generally, I will bat one down.” he said.

As far as Babar’s record as an opener in T20Is is concerned, he scored 2836 runs in 81 innings with the help of three centuries and 25 half-centuries. However, he has faced criticism for not being able to give his team quick starts in the powerplay and it could be one of the reasons for the change in the batting position.

Series against England a golden opportunity:

Furthermore, Babar Azam termed the series against England as a golden opportunity for Pakistan and said it would give his team a chance to gain confidence ahead of the T20 World Cup.

“The England series is a golden opportunity for us to win and gain confidence for the 2024 T20 World Cup,” he said.

“I am confident that Pakistan will carry the winning momentum from the Ireland series into the T20Is in England. Our 2-1 win showcased the brilliance of our batsmen and bowlers, while also providing us with learnings as we aim to work on our areas of expertise. improvement. ,” added the Pakistan captain.

The four-match series between England and Pakistan is scheduled to begin in Leeds on May 22 and will end on May 30.