Azhar Ali has set his goal for upcoming England series

Pakistan star batsman Azhar Ali has said that he is anxiously waiting to lead the batting line against England as Men in Green are preparing at the Gaddafi Stadium Lahore for tough tour of England .

The 31-year-old who was part of winning squad that lifted Champions Trophy in England last year said, “It is always exciting to play at Lord’s. Our first match is at the Lord’s, it is a dream for every cricketer to get his name on the Lord’s honour board.”

“It will be another opportunity for me to try to score a century there, but it doesn’t mean that I will take extra pressure. I will try to lead our batting line in the tour,” Azhar said while talking to media at the Gaddafi Stadium.

Speaking about Yasir Shah not being able to take part in the upcoming tour, he said, “It is a big loss of Pakistan, as Yasir has been performing so well in the Test cricket. Due to his performances in last tour we had won the games there.”

"I don’t think we have a replacement for Yasir right now. There will be a new face replacing him," he added.

Giving his views on England’s conditions, Azhar said, “We will have a good time to prepare. It will be early summer there, so conditions are a bit tough for the youngsters. It will be a big challenge, but if we play as unit, we can hope for better results.”

Replaying to a question about his absence for shorter formats of the game, he said, “I was dropped from the team after Champions Trophy due to my injury.”

Pakistan are scheduled to play three Test matches during tours of England and Ireland.