Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif has advised the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to limit captain Babar Azam’s interaction with the English media during the national team’s tour of England. Speaking on a private television channel, Latif said the PCB management should adopt a strategy to keep Babar away from the English media, particularly during what he described as a challenging tour.
Latif, who toured England with Pakistan in 1992, 1996 and 2001, said the English media can sometimes create unnecessary distractions for visiting teams by focusing heavily on off-field narratives. He added that the national team captain could come under particular scrutiny during the tour.
The former wicketkeeper said Babar is an experienced player, but suggested that the PCB could assign former captain Shan Masood a more prominent role in media interactions. According to Latif, Masood has played in England and has greater experience dealing with the English media. It is worth mentioning here that Pakistan will play a four-day practice match against a Select XI from August 12 to 15. The practice game will provide the team with an opportunity to acclimatise to English conditions and fine-tune their preparations ahead of the three-Test series.
The series gets underway with the opening Test at Headingley in Leeds on August 19, marking the start of a crucial red-ball contest between the two sides.
Earlier, Pakistan defeated the West Indies by eight wickets in the second Test to level the two-match series 1-1. Meanwhile, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced a 16-member squad for the first two Tests against Pakistan.
England will be led by experienced batter Joe Root. The 16-member squad includes Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Emilio Gay, Ollie Robinson, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope, Jamie Smith, and Josh Tongue. Pakistan entered the England series on the back of a two-match Test series against the West Indies that ended in a 1-1 draw. The series nevertheless provided a significant boost, with Pakistan securing their first Test victory away from home since July 2023 and gaining valuable momentum ahead of their challenging tour of England.
Read more: Pakistan reach England for three-test series, begin preparations after two-day break