Pak vs Eng: Babar Azam hopes to regain batting form in England T20Is

KARACHI: Pakistan captain Babar Azam said on Monday that he hopes the seven-match series against England, starting in Karachi this week, will help him return to his best scoring form in the Asia Cup earlier this month. After the cup.

The 27-year-old managed just 68 runs in six games in the UAE, where Pakistan finished runners-up to Sri Lanka.

England are on their first tour of Pakistan in 17 years, in a series seen as part of their preparations for the men’s T20 World Cup in Australia next month.

“I hope to make my best comeback in this series… and it will be good if it happens before the World Cup,” Azam told reporters on Monday.

The lean patch overtook Azam as the world’s top-rated T20I batsman after ruling the rankings for 1,155 days, after relinquishing the title to his opening partner Mohammad Rizwan last week.

Azam, who is Pakistan’s highest T20I run-scorer with 2,754 runs in 80 matches, said he keeps things simple while batting.

“I think less about setbacks when I’m going through a bad patch,” Azam said. “

Azam was the highest run-scorer in last year’s T20 World Cup held in the United Arab Emirates, scoring 303 runs in a tournament where Pakistan lost in the semi-finals.

Azam said the England series was a “big opportunity”.

“Obviously they have come to Pakistan after 17 years so it’s a big series and will help us take us to the World Cup so all the players can benefit from it,” he said.

The matches will be held in Karachi (September 22, 23, 25) and Lahore (September 28, 30 and October 2).