On Tuesday, Pakistan’s captain, Babar Azam, expressed the team’s determination to win all their matches in the upcoming World Cup, emphasizing their focus on the overall tournament victory rather than individual games.
“As a team, our approach is match-to-match, and our ultimate goal is the World Cup. We have nine matches to win before we can clinch the World Cup,” Babar stated.
The national squad is scheduled to depart for India for the tournament tomorrow. They will travel from Lahore to Dubai and then to Hyderabad, India, where they will engage in two warm-up matches: one against New Zealand on September 29 and another against Australia on October 3.
Pakistan’s World Cup campaign officially begins in Hyderabad on October 6, with their opening match against The Netherlands. Subsequently, they will face Sri Lanka at the same venue on October 10.
The team’s third match is the highly-anticipated encounter against arch-rivals India in Ahmedabad on October 14, followed by a match against Australia and the remaining fixtures against other teams. Their league stage concludes with a game against England in Kolkata on November 12.
Speaking at a press conference in Lahore, Babar Azam expressed the team’s high morale and called upon the nation to offer their prayers for their success.
Acknowledging Pakistan’s less-than-ideal performance in two crucial Asia Cup matches, the skipper admitted to the team’s mistakes but assured that they had learned from them and were committed to giving their best during the World Cup.
“We will assess the conditions and select the best team combination,” Babar stated. “I am not concerned about my personal performance; my focus is on contributing in a way that benefits the team.”
When asked about the eagerly anticipated October 14 clash with India, Babar expressed excitement about playing in Ahmedabad, home to the world’s largest stadium, and anticipated a packed crowd for the India-Pakistan showdown. He added, “Although we have not played in India before, we are not feeling overwhelmed by the pressure.”
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