Rizwan Reveals Babar Azam's Batting Position For 1st Champions Trophy Match vs NZ

Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan [Source: AP]

In a significant development, Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan has revealed that ace batter Babar Azam will open the innings for the hosts in their first Champions Trophy encounter. Led by Rizwan, Pakistan will kickstart their Champions Trophy campaign with a high-voltage encounter against New Zealand at National Stadium in Karachi. 

Mohammad Rizwan Opens Up On Babar Azam's Batting Position

Meanwhile, ahead of the tournament opener, Rizwan has confirmed that Babar will continue to open the innings despite his failure at that position. It's worth mentioning that Babar has failed miserably as an opener in ODIs, managing only 88 runs at a horrendous average of 17.60. 

However, in the pre-match press conference, Rizwan stated that Babar is satisfied with his batting position, which is why he would be opening the innings with Fakhar Zaman in the Champions Trophy face-off with New Zealand. 

"Babar will continue opening the batting for us in the Champions Trophy. He is satisfied with his batting position. It is not just about me and Babar Azam. Everyone is training very hard and working hard to win the Champions Trophy. We are just controlling the controlables," Rizwan was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

Thus, as Rizwan stated, Babar would continue to open alongside Fakhar Zaman, with Pakistan likely to slot either Kamran Ghulam or Saud Shakeel at number three. 

Babar Azam's Recent Form

Babar Azam's recent batting form is a massive concern for Pakistan. The star batter couldn't convert his starts into significant scores in the ODI Tri-Series at home. So, he would like to regain his mojo and get a morale-boosting start to the Champions Trophy. 

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