Pakistan captain, Babar Azam, who is currently representing the Colombo Strikers in the ongoing Lanka Premier League (LPL), expressed his gratitude to the Sri Lankan fans for their overwhelming support.

While speaking to reporters after Strikers’ first win in the competition on Monday, Babar said that he was surprised by the massive love and admiration he has received during his time in Sri Lanka, even during the Test series.

“I received massive love which I didn’t expect,” said Babar.

“Even during our Test series, we used to receive lots of love from the fans. It feels so good when you get support from different countries. I will try my best to give back all their love by taking selfies with them,” he added.

Babar believes that playing in Sri Lanka will offer his team valuable exposure to similar conditions they might encounter during Asia Cup and World Cup.

“I think we are having a great learning experience in these conditions, especially before Asia Cup and World Cup,” he said.

“These experiences will help us in the Asia Cup and World Cup,” he added.

Pakistan is scheduled to participate in a three-match One Day International (ODI) series against Afghanistan as a prelude to the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka. 

The ODI series will take place in Hambantota and Colombo. Following the series, Pakistan will commence their Asia Cup campaign on August 30 in Multan. 

Subsequently, they will travel to Sri Lanka to confront their long-standing rivals, India, in their second match in Asia Cup, which is set to be held on September 2.

Source - Cricket Pakistan

- Agencies