Babar Azam says he is 90% fit for crucial Lord’s Test

Pakistan captain Babar Azam has declared himself ready to return from injury and lead the side during the second Test against England at Lord’s, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Thursday. Babar has been battling a hand injury and was forced to watch on from the sidelines as Pakistan suffered a mammoth innings and 103-run loss to England in the opening Test of the ICC World Test Championship series in Leeds. But the 31-year-old has trained well over the last couple of days and is set to return for the second Test in the three-game series that commences in London on Thursday (today). “I’ve had a couple of practice sessions again and I’m 90% fit for the match, ” Babar said at his pre-match press conference a day ago. “Always when you lead the Pakistan team, especially at this ground, it is an honour for me and I will do my best. If it is on the field as captain or when I’m batting, I will just play my game. ” Just where in the batting order Babar slots in for Pakistan remains to be seen, with inexperienced opener Azan Awais the most likely player to make way for the return of the skipper following the team’s disappointing performance with the bat in the first Test. Babar did rule out moving Abdullah Shafique from his preferred position at No 4, after the right-hander impressed at Headingley with a stylish half-century in the first innings that saw him jump seven spots to equal 27th on the latest ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings. “The number Abdullah is batting, he should (continue to) play there, ” Babar suggested. “He’s batted three and four since his comeback. He’s got confidence there so he’ll continue there. We need to (stamp out) the back-to-back wickets we lose. The senior batters need to be more focused and make up for it. ” And Babar is confident his team will be able to provide an improved showing in the second Test as the side attempt to level the series at 1-1. “I think we were not playing up to our mark (in the first Test) but credit to England for the way they are playing, ” Babar added. “After that we sat to discuss our mistakes and now we are looking forward to the match, believing in ourselves and we will try to play good cricket. ” Series schedule: First Test: August 19-23, Headingley (England won by an innings and 103 runs) Second Test: August 27-31, Lord’s Third Test: September 9-13, Edgbaston

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