Skipper Babar Azam has no intention of giving up the Pakistan captaincy despite overseeing a first-ever 3-0 Test series whitewash at home, saying that leading the side was \u201ca matter of honour\u201d.
\nPakistan lost to England on Tuesday in the third and final Test in Karachi by eight wickets, after going down in the first two matches by 74 runs in Rawalpindi and 26 in Multan.
\nIt was also the first time Pakistan have lost four Tests on the trot, having been beaten by Australia in Lahore in March.
\nAsked if he would quit the captaincy to concentrate on batting, Azam told a news conference he still enjoyed the challenge.
\n\u201cCaptaincy is a matter of honour for me. I will do whatever best I can for my country and for myself,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cI enjoy it more when under pressure and it doesn\u2019t affect my batting.\u201d
\nBut Azam acknowledged his disappointment at the result of the series.
\n\u201cWe could not apply ourselves in the series,\u201d said Azam, who suffered his sixth defeat in 16 Tests as skipper.
\n\u201cI keep Pakistan first and the rest after that. So that motive and my aim are paramount,\u201d he said.
\nHe also backed the players and team management, saying he was confident they would bounce back.
\n\u201cI will defend other players as captain. I will take that front on \u2026 I will be there for others.\u201d
\nBut he urged his teammates to rise to the challenge.
\n\u201cCoaches give us plans and we have to execute that. It\u2019s for the players to step up,\u201d he said.
\nAzam, however, rued the loss through the injury of key bowlers \u2014 specifically Shaheen Shah Afridi, who missed every game of the series, and Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah, who were out of the last two.
\n\u201cWe were unfortunate that our main fast bowlers were not fit and the new players we played could not execute the way we wanted,\u201d he said.
\nPakistan next face New Zealand in two Tests, with the first in Karachi beginning December 26.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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