Just days ahead of the Men’s ODI World Cup, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam on Tuesday refuted claims of a “war of words” with pacer Shaheen Afridi and expressed that the players “love each other like a family”.
Addressing a pre-departure press conference in Lahore before travelling to India for the upcoming ICC World Cup 2023, the Pakistan skipper expressed that respect is paramount and extended to every team member, irrespective of the result of the match.
When asked about reports regarding heated conversation with ace pacer Shaheen Afridi after the recent Asia Cup debacle, Babar said: “Everyone gives me respect…. and see when you lose close matches then certain [diagreements] do take place in team meetings but this was taken out of context that there was a duel between us.”
“There’s nothing like this. We have the same respect for each other and will remain the same. We love each other like a family,” he added.
As per media reports, a heated conversation had happened between Babar and Shaheen during a post-match team meeting in the dressing room in Sri Lanka during the Asia Cup 2023. The reports suggested that Babar expressed dissatisfaction with the performances of some senior players before Shaheen asked his captain to atleast acknowledge the contributions of those who had performed well.
This heated conversation reportedly led to Mohammad Rizwan stepping in to mediate the situation.
Earlier late on Monday, the uncertainty over Pakistan’s participation in the upcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 finally came to an end after visas were issued to the Green Brigade.
The global body’s confirmation came after the complaints of a delay in the process of visa issuance to the Pakistan cricket team.
Earlier, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) wrote to the ICC about the visa delay which, it said, had disrupted the team’s preparation for the showpiece event, set to begin on October 5.
Notably, the Green Brigade will play two warm-up games before beginning their 2023 World Cup campaign. Both the matches will be held at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.
Pakistan will take on New Zealand in their first warm-up match in Hyderabad on September 29 before facing Australia on October 3 at the same venue.
Later, the highly-anticipated clash between India and Pakistan will be played on October 14 at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad.