‘He is the right man…’: Mohammad Rizwan confirms Babar Azam’s batting position in Champions Trophy

Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan confirmed that Babar Azam will be opening the batting in the upcoming Champions Trophy. The Men in Green will kick-off their campaign with the clash against New Zealand on February 19, Wednesday at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

Earlier, reports in the Pakistani media suggested that Saud Shakeel might open with Fakhar Zaman, but Rizwan dismissed them and declared Babar as the ‘right man’ for the role.

“It’s not that we don’t have options, we do have. But if you look at the conditions, Babar is the right man to open. We are not sure about reports of Babar not opening the batting. We want genuine openers, but given the needs of the team, we thought that Babar should open as he is a technically strong batter. He is our opener,” Rizwan said in the pre-match press conference. 

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Babar doesn’t have a great record as an opener in ODIs as in the 5 matches he has batted at the position, he has only managed to score 88 runs at a poor average of 17.60. His highest score as an opening batter is 29.

Meanwhile, Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf, who had sustained a muscular sprain in his lower chest wall region and had Pakistan’s last 2 matches in the recent tri-series against South Africa and New Zealand, has been declared around 80 per cent fit by skipper Rizwan.

Rizwan also revealed that after working hard in the gym, Rauf bowled several overs without any issues. The Men in Green will be hoping that the pacer is fit for the opening clash against New Zealand as he is a key player for them in the format.

“He is around 80 percent fit and bowled six to eight overs yesterday. Prior to that, he was 60 percent and today, he is in his full rhythm. He worked hard in the gym, bowled his heart out and said that he hasn’t had any issues. So, we hope that he’s fully fit,” Rizwan said.