Pakistan captain Babar Azam has backed out-of-form openers Azhar Ali and Abid Ali to perform well in the upcoming two-Test series against Zimbabwe.

Apart from wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan and the captain himself, other batsmen in the batting lineup have struggled throughout the three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe as well as during the tour of South Africa.

Azhar and Abid, who were struggling for form during the home series against the Proteas, are expected to be given another opportunity in the first Test against Zimbabwe starting from April 29, as Babar hinted at continuing the winning combination.

“I know they are struggling to get some runs,” said the Green Caps’ captain while talking in a virtual press conference ahead of the series opener. “In past, Abid and Azhar has had a great run with the bat and we hope that they will get some runs for us in the series.”

Commenting on condition in Harare, Babar admitted that the batsmen struggled in Zimbabwe after coming from South Africa.

“Conditions here are difficult,” he said. “It took us a while to adjust here. Test team members are also having a camp here and hopefully, they will get used to of these conditions in the coming days.”