Babar Azam upbeat to lead for first time in home Test against South Africa

Lahore: Pakistan’s all-format captain Babar Azam is excited to lead the national team for the first time in Test cricket on his home soil after South Africa confirmed their tour to Pakistan after 14 years.

“I am delighted that South Africa have confirmed their tour to Pakistan and look forward to captaining my country for the first time in a home Test at a venue where we recently won our maiden Pakistan Super League title,” Babar said in a statement released by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

The 26-year-old is glad to play against top-quality sides next year as it will help the side to progress further.

“Looking at the calendar of international cricket in 2021, I am pleased we are playing more against the sides which are ranked above us. This is critical to not only our learning and development but also an opportunity to improve our rankings across all formats,” he added.

“With the amount of cricket that is lined up in 2021, I am excited that a number of promising and budding cricketers will get chances to break into the national side and cement their places. This is critical to Pakistan’s future in developing a strong and formidable nucleus of players who can step up and challenge any opposition anywhere in the world,” he concluded.

It must be noted that Proteas will arrive in Karachi on January 16. They will play two Tests in Karachi on January 26 and in Rawalpindi on February 4 which will be part of the ICC Test Championship.

Both sides will then travel to Lahore where they will play three T20Is at Gaddafi Stadium on 11, 13 and 14 February.