We are confident of winning the series against West Indies: Babar Azam

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has set his eyes on the three-match ODI series against the West Indies, starting on 8th June.

While addressing the press meet at the National High-Performance Centre in Lahore, Babar spoke about the significance of the upcoming cricket schedule.

"We are confident about winning the series against the West Indies. It is not easy to play in high temperatures, which is why players are putting in the hard yards in the ongoing conditioning camp," said Babar Azam while speaking to the reporters in Lahore.

"We have a fairly long cricket season. After West Indies, we have to go on an important tour of Sri Lanka. We have a series against England and, more importantly, the T20 World Cup as well."

Talking about the preparations, he said: "I always try to perform in a manner which helps the team. Planning is important when playing in different conditions. I also try to remain calm when I enter the field."

Recently, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has accepted the New Zealand Cricket (NZC) board's invitation to play a tri-series against them and Bangladesh ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia. Talking about the tri-series, Babar said that New Zealand has similar conditions to Australia, which will help the team prepare for the marquee event.

"Playing in New Zealand will benefit us if it happens. Their conditions are similar to the venue of the World Cup, Australia, which will help us in the mega event," he concluded.

Babar accepted that he always admired former Pakistan captain and World Cup winner Imran Khan's mindset as captain and also expressed his desire to produce world-class cricketers for the national team.

"As a captain, I always followed the great Imran Khan. His mindset as a captain is something to learn for all of us. In his captaincy, he produced some great players who became an example for others. I want to do the same," said Babar.

When asked about Pakistan's shortcomings in the middle order, the 27-year-old player admitted that there are some issues that need sorting out, and the management is working on them.

"We are working on improving our middle-order batting. Don't worry, and we have planned multiple strategies for improvement," he assured.

Pakistan are set to play West Indies for three ODIs on June 8, 10, and 12 at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi. The series is a part of the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League.