Pakistani bowling coach Waqar Younis on Sunday called the ejection of top hitter and captain Babar Azam from the upcoming T20 series in New Zealand a major blow for the touring team. Waqar admitted that Babar’s absence will have an impact on Pakistan’s chances of winning the three-game series.
“There is no doubt that Babar is one of the best players in the world now in any format. So it’s a big setback for us. Other teams are afraid of it, ”Waqar said from New Zealand during a media interaction with Pakistani journalists.
“It’s unfortunate that (the injury) happened at the wrong time, right at the beginning of the series.” Azam suffered the injury to his right thumb in Queenstown during the Pakistan team’s practice session.
However, Waqar insisted those things were an integral part of the sport and now is an opportunity for others to step up and seize the opportunities. Waqar said that since Babar is unavailable, management will have to change the batting order and review the combinations.
He also admitted that players are slowly returning to normal cricket after their long quarantine period in Christchurch. He said the quarantine had hampered the team’s preparations.
“I know that circumstances are not normal for us due to Covid-19 and teams are facing problems on tour. But we all have to deal with this and it’s our job to get the best out of the players, “he said.