LAHORE – Pakistan skipper Babar Azam continues stunning the fans with hisdazzling performance and victory as he has now become the first nationalcaptain to win his opening four Tests.
After crushing Zimbabwe in the second test to win the series, Pakistan haveregistered a sixth straight win.
Pakistan defeated South Africa in Tests and T20Is at home earlier this yearand then won the T20I and ODI series in the return series before wrappingup the African safari with T20I and Test series wins in Harare.
This is the sixth time when Pakistan have won six or more series on thetrot. Pakistan won 13 straight series in 2011-12, nine consecutive seriesin 2015-16, eight successive series in 2001-02 and six straight series in1993-94 and 2017-18, said PCB in a statement.
Babar followed his two home Test wins against South Africa with victoriesby innings margins in Harare. The number-one ranked ODI batsman will nowhave a chance to get back to his run-scoring form in red-ball cricket whenhe captains Pakistan against the West Indies (two Tests) and Bangladesh(two Tests) in August and September, respectively.
The tour to Africa also brought the curtains down on the side’s 2020-21international commitments during which they played nine Tests, six ODIs and19 T20Is in the 10-month period under unprecedented Covid-19 restrictionsand protocols.
During this period, Pakistan has climbed to fifth in the ICC Test TeamRankings, their highest since 2017; presently occupies second place behindEngland on the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League; and has retainedfourth position in the T20Is.
PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani congratulated the side on the successful Africatour and also thanked the players and support staff for enduring the toughand demanding Covid-19 protocols to fulfill their Future Tours Programmecommitments that ensured the fans remained connected with the sport.
Ehsan Mani said: “On behalf of the Pakistan cricket fans, I want tocongratulate the Pakistan men’s cricket team on completing successful toursof South Africa and Zimbabwe.
“The young and talented side through their performances under a blossomingand skillful captain and a committed and knowledgeable backroom staff haveshown they are heading in the right direction. Nonetheless, a lot of workstill needs to be done if they have to achieve their objective of featuringin the top-three across all formats by 2023.
“Winning six straight series during the Covid-19 pandemic only for thesixth time in our proud cricket history is a huge achievement and reflectshow challenging and difficult it is has been to perform consistently at thehighest level.
“I want to especially thank each and every member of the squad for standingup to the rigours and demands of the unprecedented Covid-19 restrictions.It has not been easy for the players to remain in confinements away fromtheir families and friends for extended periods and yet expected to performeach time they have stepped on to the field.
“We have recently seen the impact of bio-secure environments on someinternational cricketers, but our players have shown tremendous resilience,mental toughness and focus during the past 10 months in which they clearlydeveloped team unity and harmony that also helped them in their on-fieldperformances.