Sylhet: Veteran wicket-keeper batsman Mushfiqur Rahim on Friday insisted that the home side know how to attack Pakistan’s star batsman Babar Azam, who has been declared fit to play in the second Test at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium from May 16 to 20.
Pakistan head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed confirmed during a pre-match press conference earlier today that Babar, who missed the series opener in Mirpur due to a knee injury, will feature in the next match.
Although the 31-year-old scored 64 runs in four innings as Bangladesh beat Pakistan 2-0 at home in 2024, the visitors are backing him to address their batting struggles against the dominant hosts who sealed the opening match by 104 runs.
Rahim, who did not confirm his return, admitted that it would be a big boost for Pakistan but insisted that Bangladesh beat Babur in 2024 with their arsenal.
“I believe (Babar’s) presence will give Pakistan a boost, especially as he is a world-class cricketer. But he played two Tests in Pakistan when we beat them and we still beat them,” Rahim said.
“We know where to attack him and how to plan against him. We are confident of executing those plans. If we can do that, we can definitely put him and the team under pressure,” he added.
Rahim also said that Pakistan were struggling in various forms but insisted that their success in the series opener was due to their brilliance.
“I think the Pakistan team is obviously struggling in Tests, ODIs and T20Is, but we won (in Dhaka) because we played well,” Mushfiqur said.
“We were consistent against them. We will try to play the same way. It remains to be seen how much we will play in this Test match; it will be a challenge to find a result in this game.”