Bangladesh speedster Shoriful Islam dreams of taking Babar Azam’s wicket in the upcoming two-match Test series against Pakistan, beginning on August 21 in Rawalpindi. The youngster also recalled playing with the former Pakistan captain in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and remembered how good he was as a person as well. However, despite Babar Azam’s recent poor performances, he has a formidable record in Tests against Bangladesh. He has scored 242 runs only in 3 Tests, averaging 80.67 with one hundred and a half-century.
Speaking to reporters, Islam named Babar and Pakistan captain Shan Masood as their main batters and said that playing away will be a
challenging task. As quoted by cricketpakistan.pk, he stated: “Babar and Shan Masood are world-class batters. But our bowling attack is also strong enough. We can put up a strong fight against them. Our task will be difficult as they play in their home ground. We have to stay prepared. Babar is a tough challenge for Bangladesh. So, we have to take his wicket quickly. He is also my dream wicket. I will be very happy if I can get his wicket. I played with him last year in the CPL. He is a very good person.”
The two teams last played a Test series in late 2021 in Bangladesh as well. The visitors wrapped up the series 2-0 as they played well across formats. He also expressed his optimism about finding sufficient help from the surface in the first Test as well. Further, he stated that Test cricket requires players to be in a different mould physically and mentally to do well.
“I’ve heard there’s expected to be patches of grass on the pitch, though I haven’t seen it myself yet. Every fast bowler likes that because it offers seam movement. So, if that’s the case, it’s definitely a good thing. Test cricket requires a different kind of preparation, mentally and physically. But we still have some time before the match, and I believe that by the 21st, with more practice sessions, my fitness and bowling will be well-suited for red-ball cricket,” Shoriful Islam concluded.
