Rizwan defends Babar Azam's 'King' title in press conference, disregards previous criticism and suggests Pakistan banking on batter's role for CT success

Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan has given a strong indication that Babar Azam will be partnering with Fakhar Zaman as the opening batsmen in the team's first match of the ODI tri-series against New Zealand on Saturday. This tri-series, which includes Pakistan, New Zealand, and South Africa, brings back the excitement of the tri-series format to international cricket after a long hiatus.

Pakistan will be without Saim Ayub for both the tri-series and the upcoming Champions Trophy at home, as the young batter failed to recover in time from the leg injury he sustained during the South Africa tour.

When Pakistan announced their squad for the Champions Trophy, it was revealed that either Babar Azam or Saud Shakeel would open alongside the returning Fakhar Zaman.

During a press conference, Rizwan was asked about Pakistan’s opening combination, and he responded with a clever reference to Babar Azam’s famous moniker, ‘King’.

"Iske jawaab mein woh baat ki thi na, 'King kar lega'." (The answer is, there was a line 'King will do it'.)," said Rizwan.

The moniker became famous after a podcast featuring Pakistan's pacer Hasan Ali, who revealed that during his time in the team, multiple Pakistan players used to call Babar ‘King’.

While Rizwan didn't name Babar, the statement from Rizwan strongly suggested that the star batter is likely to step up as Pakistan’s opener for the tri-series and possibly for the Champions Trophy as well.

An unfamiliar role for Babar Azam

While Babar Azam has been Pakistan’s pillar at No.3 in ODIs, he has hardly played as an opener. Babar has opened for Pakistan in just two innings so far, managing just 26 runs, with a highest score of 22. However, his numbers at No.3 are stellar – 5,416 runs at an astonishing average of 60.17.

Despite these statistics, the team management appears keen to experiment with Babar at the top.

The tri-series serves as a crucial preparatory ground for the Champions Trophy, which begins on February 19. Rizwan expressed confidence in the squad’s ability, emphasizing that the team has been carefully selected.

"We have the best choice of players, so it is an important series and the best preparation for the bigger event, the Champions Trophy," Rizwan stated.

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