Captain of Pakistan Babar Azam expressed optimism about winning the T20 World Cup again, but acknowledged that “nerves” will play a part in their high-stakes match against archrival India. 2009 saw Pakistan win their first-ever T20 World Cup. Ever then, the Men in Green have been on the verge of experiencing the same success, but have failed each time. Pakistan is hoping to break their winning streak at the current World Cup, which is currently in progress. However, before the competition reaches that point, India against Pakistan, one of cricket’s oldest rivals, will dominate the headlines.
The previous time, thanks to Virat Kohli’s heroics, India defeated their neighbors. Babar shared his thoughts on the highly anticipated match, which is scheduled for June 9 in New York at the recently constructed Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.
“The whole world is waiting for the day of the Pakistan-India match. Of course, there will be anxiety. Speaking on the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) podcast, Babar stated, “It is always a pressure game.”
Babar revealed the expectations surrounding the team’s chances of winning the championship and how it drives the group as a whole. A different motivation is to lift the ICC trophy. You raise your game and receive a ton of compliments.
Therefore, raising an ICC trophy and giving it to Pakistan is the driving force, goal, and dream, Babar said. “I am happy and excited because when you go to play in a major event […] the hope is always to lift the trophy, but for that to happen, we have to play top cricket against every side.”
Pakistan is unaware of the playing conditions in the United States, just like most of the other teams. Babar admitted as much, but he also disclosed the steps they had taken to get ready for their debut performance in the US.
“We are in the process of collating various cricket and match-related information from players who have played there, which can help and assist us in our preparations,” he continued.
Pakistan T20 WC squad: Babar Azam (c), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan.