"I am not interested in showing off" - Babar Azam dismisses talks of captaincy pressure

Pakistan captain Babar Azam has dismissed suggestions that he is feeling the pressure of leading the side in all three formats. Azam added that he is not interested in showing off despite being the star performer in the side.

Under Azam, Pakistan were whitewashed 0-3 in the ODIs by an England side missing most of their star players. They also lost the T20I series 1-2.

Speaking to Cricket Pakistan, Azam stated that he has taken up captaincy as a challenge and will definitely improve with time. He asserted:

“There is no pressure of captaincy on me. When I bat, I only think about my batting. During fielding and when you are outside, of course, you think about captaincy. You need to learn things. You have been given the responsibility and you cannot take pressure and keep wondering what will happen. I take up everything as a challenge. My white-ball cricket is improving. I have started well in Test matches and you will definitely see me getting better.”

Azam added that he doesn’t believe in showing off just to prove that he is in charge of the team and the biggest name in Pakistan cricket at present. He stated:

“I am not interested in showing off. My parents and elders have taught me to remain humble and down to earth. I don’t need to show that I am Babar Azam, everybody knows who Babar Azam is. I am doing the same things I used to do earlier.”

Azam made it clear that he is very much a part of the selection process since he has to run the team. He added:

“My inputs are definitely there in selection. I have to lead the team so my feedback is important. My aim is to do what is best for the team.”

We were 10-15 runs short: Babar Azam after loss in 3rd T20I

Pakistan went down to England by three wickets in the deciding T20I in Manchester on Tuesday. Although Mohammad Rizwan made an unbeaten 76 off 57 balls, Pakistan could put up pnly 154 for 6 batting first.

At the post-match conference, Azam admitted that Pakistan did not get enough runs on the board. He said:

“We were 10-15 runs short. We wanted to fight and we did. Unfortunately, we couldn't win. We could have scored few runs more at the top of the order. We played a few bad shots. We generally play the spinners well. There will be good days and bad days."

3rd T20I UPDATE: England win by 3 wicketsScorecard: https://t.co/hfYLMTTycW#HarHaalMainCricket | #BackTheBoysInGreen | #ENGvPAK pic.twitter.com/tzox6iEhyP

— Pakistan Cricket Live (@TheRealPCB_Live) July 20, 2021

Azam was the leading run-scorer in the ODIs with 177 runs and scored 118 runs in the T20Is.