Babar Azam reveals reason behind Pakistan not calling off England tour despite COVID scare

As the Pakistan team prepares themselves to take on the new-look England side in the three-match ODI series, skipper Babar Azam revealed that the players in the team were not worried about continuity of the tour after the COVID-19 outbreak in the England camp. Ahead of the Pakistan vs England first ODI, main members of the England team had to be put under isolation after several players and management staff tested positive for coronavirus.The England Cricket Board decided to call up as many as nine uncapped players in the team which will be led by Ben Stokes.

Babar Azam on Pakistan vs England 1st ODI

According to Espncricinfo, Babar Azam said "No, we didn't think about it, it didn't come into our minds at any time. The PCB and ECB have assured us that they will take care of the safety and health of all the squad members. We must understand that these are unprecedented times of Covid-19. I want to acknowledge my players who have spent the last 18 months in and out of bio-secure bubbles and we have prepared in that. For now we are focusing on cricket and tomorrow's game."

He added "As a professional, you have to get through these ups and downs. It's a global problem - we never thought about it. We're giving priority to our cricket. Not an ideal situation - but we have to understand this is the way for the last 18 months. Really give credit to my team who have been so positive throughout all this. We've been like this for 18 months and it's difficult, but the players deserve credit for it.''

Talking about the preparations for the 1st ODI, Azam said " We've been training for the last 10 days in Derby and have played 3-4 inter-squad practice games in that time. We haven't played ODIs for a while so we had to get into that mode. But the players are looking in good touch. We have good memories of Cardiff where we beat Sri Lanka and England (in the 2017 Champions Trophy) and we're looking forward to a good result tomorrow as well

Battle for top spot in Cricket World Cup Super League table 

The upcoming three-match ODI series presents an opportunity for Babar Azam led Pakistan team to take the top spot from England in the Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League. Currently, England is at the top of the standings with 65 points with six wins five losses while one match was abandoned due to rain. Pakistan on the other hand is third with 40 points having won four matches and losing two out of the six matches.  If Pakistan manages to win all three matches the team will gain 30 points and will be able to take the top spot with 70 points at the end of the series. Meanwhile, if England wins any of the three-match series, they will be able to keep their position at the top of the standings.

Credit: @Babarazam258/ Twitter