Pakistan Cricket Team captain Babar Azam is addressing the media ahead of departure for India ahead of World Cup 2023. After the visa snag, the team is set to arrive in India on Sep 27. Pakistan will play two warm-up matches on Sep 29 and Oct 3 against New Zealand and Australia. Pakistan open their World Cup campaign against Netherlands on Oct 6 in Hyderabad.
Babar Azam’s first visit
Pakistan Cricket Team will leave for Dubai tonight at 3:30 AM and after a 9-hour layoff, they will travel to Hyderabad on Wednesday.
While some of the players have visited India before, this is the first time for many including skipper Babar Azam. Only Salman Ali Agha and Mohammad Nawaz have been to India. Pakistan will visit India for the first time since 2016 T20 World Cup.
“I’m very excited to play in Ahmedabad. It is the biggest stadium in the world and will be jam-packed for the India-Pakistan clash. I have spoken to former cricketers about the condition and they are not that different. And I will try to perform to the best of my ability. I can’t exactly tell you how I will do since I’m not an astrologer. I’m not worried about my performance. I always try to perform in a manner that suits the team,” Babar Azam said.
World Cup promise
Despite loss in two Asia Cups and two T20 World Cups, Pakistan are high on team morale. Babar Azam said, the team has learnt from the Asia Cup mistakes and will address that in the two warm-up matches.
“We could not deliver up to the mark, but we learned from it. We just don’t point out our errors, but we also talk about how to improve those sides,” Babar Azam said.
“As a team, our morale is very high, we have confidence. We will try to play our best. I request all of you to pray for the team,” he added.
Trust players more than myself
Staying true to his nature, Pakistan captain fully backed out form players like Fakhar Zaman and Shadab Khan. Both have been struggling and there were discussions about whether they should be in the World Cup squad.
“I spoke to Shadab Khan and we gave confidence to each other. I and Shadab know that we aren’t bowling well in the middle overs, but I trust my players more than I trust myself,” Babar Azam said.
World Cup Schedule for Pakistan
| Date | Day | Team 1 | Team 2 | City | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 6 | Friday | Pakistan | Netherlands | Hyderabad | Pak won by 81 runs |
| Oct 10 | Tuesday | Pakistan | Sri Lanka | Hyderabad | Pak won by 6 wickets |
| Oct 14 | Saturday | India | Pakistan | Ahmedabad | India won by 7 wickets |
| Oct 20 | Friday | Australia | Pakistan | Bengaluru | Aus won by 62 runs |
| Oct 23 | Monday | Pakistan | Afghanistan | Chennai | Pak lost by 8 wickets |
| Oct 27 | Friday | Pakistan | South Africa | Chennai | Pak lost by 1-wicket |
| Oct 31 | Tuesday | Pakistan | Bangladesh | Kolkata | Pak won by 7-wickets |
| Nov 4 | Saturday | New Zealand | Pakistan | Bengaluru | Pakistan won by 21 runs via DLS |
| Nov 11 | Saturday | England | Pakistan | Kolkata | 2:00 PM |
Pakistan squad for ICC World Cup 2023: Babar Azam (C), Shadab Khan (VC), Fakhar Zaman, Imam ul Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Agha Salman, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Hassan Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jr.
