"Never thought of calling off the tour" - Babar Azam amid COVID-19 scare
Pakistan cricket team skipper Babar Azam has clarified that he and his teammates did not think about calling off their limited-overs tour of England amid the COVID-19 scare in the England camp.
With seven members of the England side testing positive for the deadly virus, England was forced to name an entirely revamped squad under the leadership of Ben Stokes.
Speaking ahead of the three-match ODI starting on July 13 in Cardiff, Babar Azam said the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) had assured the full safety of the Pakistan cricketers.
Babar said at a virtual press conference:
"No, we didn't think about it, it didn't come into our minds at any time. The PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) and ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) have assured us that they will take care of the safety and health of all the squad members.
"We must understand that these are the unprecedented times of Covid-19. Then again I want to acknowledge my players that are spending time in bio-secure bubbles and we have prepared in that. We are focusing on cricket and tomorrow's game. Of course it was disappointing news and we must understand that we would not get the ideal situation because of the Covid situation."
We are not taking the young England side lightly: Babar Azam
Pakistan will be up against an unfamiliar English side in the upcoming limited-overs series. The touring side was forced to sit with their analyst to watch County games and make new plans for the cricketers.
Babar Azam, a regular in the County Championship, feels his experience of playing in England will come in handy for his side.
"We know most of them but there were a couple of new faces in the squad.
"We sat together with the analyst, we worked on them, we have seen footage of their county matches and we can't take any player playing for England lightly.
"I know a few of them having played in the (English county) T20 Blast and those we don't know we have researched their performances. We are expecting good cricket tomorrow."