Oct 17, 2021: Pakistan cricket captain Babar Azam says he intends to consult Shoaib Malik for T20 World Cup matches.

“He is experienced and has all the knowledge of international cricket, especially T20 cricket,” Azam told a press conference.

Azam says Shoaib Malik’s inclusion in the team is definitely a big boost for the team and that his experience will help the team a lot.

Originally scheduled to take place in Australia and then India, before being chased out of both by COVID-19, the seventh edition of the World T20 cricket world cup begins with a double-header with a first match between Oman and Papua New Guinea at the 3,000-seat venue outside Muscat and later, Bangladesh face Scotland before Ireland, Namibia, Netherlands and 2010 champions Sri Lanka join the fray on Monday.

Meanwhile, captain of the Pakistan side, Babar Azam says Mohammad Rizwan had emerged as a true batsman. “He has become a linchpin in Pakistan batting lineup. I am looking forward to establishing a partnership with him in an effort to give a solid foundation to the team’s total,” he added.

Babar Azam will play his first T20 World Cup. He thinks he is lucky to be leading the Pakistan team. He says leading the team in his first T20 World Cup which is a big responsibility for him. He says he is in form and scoring runs. He wants Pakistan to repeat its 2009 performance when the team won the title in England.

“We want to repeat that performance. Winning the T20 World Cup in 2009 was big news for Pakistan,” he added.

On the changes made before the team left for Dubai, Babar said some players were not in their best form. “In the absence of the scheduled series against New Zealand and England, we arranged a national T20 to see the form of the selected players. Some of them were in excellent form. That’s why we made some changes in the team.”

On the other hand, batting consultant for the Pakistan squad, Matthew Hayden has arrived in Dubai with the qualifying round to join the Pakistan cricket team ahead of the T20 World Cup starting Sunday (today).

Pakistan will play its first round match against India on October 24 at the Dubai Sports Stadium.

Before that much awaited clash, the team will play a practice match against West Indies on October 18 and South Africa on October 20.

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