Pakistan, Aug. 3 -- Pakistan Test debutant Awais Zafar has described representing the national team as the dream of every cricketer, saying his selection was a proud and emotional moment for both him and his family. He revealed that he was with his mother when the squad was announced, and she was among the first to congratulate him. Awais credited his selection to hard work and improved batting performances in domestic cricket.

The young batter said he grew up watching stars such as Sarfaraz Ahmed, Babar Azam, Umar Gul and Mohammad Rizwan, who inspired him to pursue cricket. He added that although he started his career as an opening batter, he now plays at number three and believes batting position is less important than contributing to ...