Babar Azam has said that Pakistan cricket team selection is not in his hands as the side prepares for the Sri Lanka Tests. He said that the selection or deselection of players was not his decision, and that the team had been put together by the selectors and coaches. For readers asking who picks the side, his answer is that the selectors and coaches make the call.
What Babar Azam said
Babar said he simply gives his inputs and does not control who is picked or dropped. He described his own role as helping the team, saying that "the selectors and coaches have given us a team" and that his job is to help them fight and produce match-winning performances. The message was that his focus is on the cricket played on the field rather than on the selection process.
A youthful side for the Sri Lanka Tests
Pakistan go into the series with a youthful squad, and reports say three players have been called up for the first time for the Tests. Test cricket, the longest form of international cricket, is played over several days, which gives each selection decision more weight over the course of a match. Coverage of the series has framed both teams as starting a search for a way forward in the format.
What happens next
The selectors' choices will now be tested on the field, and Babar said his own role is to support the players in that effort. Further team news will follow as the Sri Lanka Tests begin.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Babar Azam ne kaha hai ke Pakistan cricket team ka selection unke haath mein nahi hai. Unke mutabiq selectors aur coaches team de chuke hain, aur unka kaam players ko achi performance dene mein madad karna hai. Aam shaiqon ke liye yeh khabar Sri Lanka ke Tests se pehle team ki taiyari ko samajhne mein madad deti hai.
