Pakistan did not think about pulling out of England tour, says Babar

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam on Wednesday said that his side did not even for once, think about pulling out of the England tour.

His remark comes as three England players and four members of the backroom staff tested positive for Covid-19. This forced the management to pick a completely new squad led by Ben Stokes.

"No, we didn't think about it, it didn't come into our minds at any time. The PCB and ECB have assured us that they will take care of the safety and health of all the squad members. We must understand that these are unprecedented times of Covid-19," ESPNcricinfo quoted Azam as saying.

"I want to acknowledge my players who have spent the last 18 months in and out of bio-secure bubbles and we have prepared in that. For now, we are focusing on cricket and tomorrow's game," he added.

Talking about England's new squad, Azam said: "We know most of them but there were a couple of new faces in the squad and we sat together with the analyst, we worked on them, we have seen footage of their county matches."

"They may be new players but they are playing for England so we won't take them lightly. I know a few of them, having played in T20 Blast, and those we don't know we have researched their performances," he added.

The ECB on Tuesday named an 18-strong group for the upcoming series against Pakistan. The announcement came after the news that three members of the initial playing group and four members of the management staff had tested positive for COVID-19, and consequently, the entire squad initially selected was required to isolate.

Ben Stokes will return to the squad to captain the side and Chris Silverwood, who had been due to take some time away during the white-ball series, is back as head coach. In total, there are nine uncapped players in the squad.

England will play Pakistan in three ODIs and as many T20Is. The ODI series will begin on Thursday and the third and final match will be played on July 13.

( With inputs from ANI )