Babar Azam loses his mobile phone

Former Pakistan cricket team captain Babar Azam has lost his mobile phone, the star batter revealed in a social media post.

"I have lost my phone and contacts. I will get back to everyone as soon as I find it," Babar said in a post on his official X account.

The post comes as the former skipper trains for the upcoming tri-series and the ICC Champions Trophy. In these tournaments, he is expected to open the innings alongside Fakhar Zaman. 

According to reports, the team management has urged Babar to play a role similar to that of Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar, and the 30-year-old has agreed to take on this challenge.

Pakistan recently announced a 15-member squad with Fakhar Zaman as the only regular opener. Chief selector Asad Shafiq said that the second opener will be decided before the tri-series starts on Feb 8.

Reports revealed that concerns regarding the team's opening combination came to fore when youngster Saim Ayub suffered an ankle injury on the first day of the Cape Town Test. Head coach Aaqib Javed, batting coach Shahid Aslam, wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan, and the selection committee held multiple discussions with Babar, convincing him to open the innings in both Test and ODI formats.

The management believes that Babar's presence at the top will strengthen the team, and he has agreed to take on the responsibility, particularly in the upcoming tri-series and Champions Trophy.

The management is confident that Babar will play a pivotal role in Pakistan's ODI squad. He has played 123 ODIs and scored 5,957 runs at an impressive average of 56, including 19 centuries and 23 half-centuries. 

While he is a regular opener in T20 cricket, he has mostly played at number three or four in ODIs. The last time he opened the innings in ODIs was against England in 2015.