Babar Azam Defends Sharjeel Khan’s Comeback To Pakistan’s T20I Side

Pakistan captain Babar Azam defended the surprise recall handed to left-hander Sharjeel Khan in the T20I squad for the upcoming tours to South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Azam, who is learnt to have backed Sharjeel’s comeback in the selection meetings, said Pakistan are willing to give him time to regain decent fitness levels and contribute with the bat in what is a T20 World Cup year.

Sharjeel faced suspension for his part in the spot-fixing scandal that rocked the 2017 PSL and hasn’t played for Pakistan since January that year. The 31-year-old, however, showed fantastic form in the recently suspended edition of the PSL where he partnered Babar at the top for Karachi Kings. Sharjeel struck a hundred against Islamabad United and half-century against Lahore Qalandars.

Back in 2016 as well, it was Sharjeel’s PSL form that had got him the nod for the T20 World Cup in India. But in prevailing circumstances, there are concerns over his fitness levels, with many experts not failing to mention how his inclusion sets a bad precedent when it comes to the team selection.

“I’ve played with Sharjeel Khan and I know he can’t become a Shadab Khan suddenly,” Babar Azam told the press before the start of Pakistan’s preparatory camp. “But we have to carry him. I agree his fitness might not be there yet. But the way he is playing, his form, he can help us. I’ve played with him in Karachi Kings too. He’s one of the best players, he can totally change the game. Yes, he is working on his fitness. And also, I’ve asked for him only in the T20s because it is a short format and in a short format you can adjust a bit.”

“He’s played domestic four-day, one-day, PSL too. In my opinion, there’s not much of an issue with fitness, yes he’s a little ‘healthy’, but work is in progress. I’ll repeat that he’s a match-winner and his fielding is not an issue. He’s part of the team and if we back him, it will be beneficial for us.”

Rumours doing the rounds about team selection not good: Babar Azam

Babar Azam, meanwhile, also spoke about the controversial news leaks about his disappointment with the selection panel regarding the players picked for the fixtures in Africa. Azam made an effort to debunk the rumours doing the rounds on the matter.

“The rumours doing the rounds about team selection … in my opinion, these matters of meetings are better left inside the meeting. When they are brought out, it’s not good,” Azam said.

“Debates are good. There will be differences of opinions but they are best kept inside the room. This is not my team, this is our team and it’s my responsibility to take the team forward. I understand the goal of selection. The endeavour is to get the best players and I welcome all the new inclusions.”

To allow them to work over their fitness and upskill their games, Pakistan have summoned the likes of Sharjeel, Azam Khan and Sohaib Maqsood for camps at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore. The idea is to have players who are part of the team’s vision ready for national selection.

Pakistan will be facing South Africa in three ODIs and four T20Is from April 2 before flying across to Zimbabwe and play a further three T20Is in the build-up to the T20 World Cup 2021. The visitors will also play two Test matches against Zimbabwe.

“This is an important tour for us. We have the winning momentum to maintain. There’s been a lot of gap since our last ODI against Zimbabwe. So we’ll play two practice [intra-squad] one-dayers at the camp before the South Africa series. It’s an important series for World Cup qualification. Hopefully, we can collect points,” said Azam.

“It’s also an opportunity for young guys to take up and polish their games, with an away tour of West Indies to come followed by a series against New Zealand. The endeavour is for the team to keep doing well and hopefully climb into the Top 3,” he added.

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