PAK vs WI | I got my confidence with Shadab and Nawaz coming back into the team: Babar Azam

The experienced leg-spinner Shadab Khan and the young all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz have made their return into Pakistan's ODI team for the upcoming home series against West Indies after recovering from their respective injuries.

The Pakistani skipper Babar Azam has termed the return of these two players as a positive thing for the team as their all-round abilities would ensure a proper balance between batting and bowling in the side. 

"With Shadab and Nawaz coming back into the team, I got my confidence because, with them, I have completed my batting and bowling in the given combination. Shadab bats up in the order in PSL, and we have an edge to utilise him, and then we are fully covered with 5, 6 and 7, with Nawaz as a finisher," Babar said in a press conference in Lahore. 

On being asked if the reserve opener Abdullah Shafique is in the scheme of things to make it into the starting eleven, Babar emphasised on giving the established openers Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman a longer rope.

"We already have openers who are doing well, and they are the priority, and you always make your best ones your priority," Babar said. 

"These games are crucial for us and to build a team, you have to give players consistent chances. Yes, there are margins of bad performances, but you never drop players with the whip because teams are not lifted like this. You have to be consistent with your selection," he further added. 

When enquired about the challenges they are going to face due to the severe heat of Multan, the stylish batter said that they are currently training in the afternoon period in Lahore to get used to the heat. The Lahore-born also stressed that as professional cricketers, it's a part of their job to cope with these conditions. 

"We started our training camp earlier in the day from 2:30 pm so that we could feel the heat and get ourselves ready for the matches. The temperature here (in Lahore) is similar to what we are going to experience in Multan, maybe one or two degrees more. As a professional, you have to handle these situations," the number one ranked T20I batter concluded.