Pakistan skipper Babar Azam on Tuesday expressed confidence over his boys ahead of their departure to India for the ICC Men’s World Cup 2023.
“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,” Babar said during a pre-departure press conference in Lahore.
The Green Brigade will begin the showpiece tournament after their recent setback in the just concluded Asia Cup, where they finished fourth, the skipper reckoned that the debacle helped the team learn.
“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,” the captain noted.
Babar said the team’s planning for the continental event was different while they have another plan for the upcoming event in India.
“The conditions are different from Asia Cup. We will monitor the conditions, and whatever is best for Pakistan, we will go into the match with that planning,” Babar noted.
Notably, Babar’s men faced a lot of criticism due to their lacklustre show in the 2024 Asia Cup and several cricket pundits felt that the team was pretty weak in middle-over bowling.
“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,” he said.
Babar also said that it was the same squad that made Pakistan the number 1 ODI team and he was well aware of his players who fought hard behind it.
Recently, the Pakistan selectors had included Hasan Ali in the squad in place of injured Naseem Shah. Ali has however, not represented Pakistan in the ODI format for more than a year.
Replying to a question related to Ali, Babar said that he was picked due to his experience.
“I make very few changes; when we are together, we produce good results. A player should be supported when he is not doing well,” the skipper said, noting that the team would miss Shah.
On playing in India for the first time in his long career, Babar said he was excited and not worried about the conditions in India. Intrestingly, just two players from current Pakistan’s squad have toured India for cricket before — Mohammad Nawaz, who was part of Pakistan’s 2016 T20 World Cup squad and Agha Salman, who was in the Lahore Lions’ squad for the Champions League T20.
“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,” he said.
“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 added.