Babar Azam, the captain of Pakistan, has emphasized that his team must “stick to the basics and play easy cricket” in order to get ready for the much awaited match versus India in the current T20 World Cup.
Pakistan’s opening encounter of the event, which is being co-hosted by the US and the West Indies, is scheduled for June 6 against the US, who defeated Canada by seven wickets in the opening game.
The match between Pakistan and India is scheduled for June 9 at the Eisenhower Park stadium in Nassau County, New York. Due to reports of threats specifically tied to the event, security will be heightened at this location.
Babar discussed the game against India in a podcast that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) broadcast on Sunday. “The day of the India-Pakistan match is the focus of the entire world,” he declared.
Naturally, there will be anxiety, but we must remain focused, adhere to the fundamentals, and play simple cricket. It’s always a pressure game; things get easier the more you maintain your composure, have faith in your abilities, and work hard,” he continued.
An India-Pakistan encounter is “always the most talked about; it is discussed too much wherever you go in the world,” according to Babar, who took back the team’s captaincy in two formats in March.
The players experience varying emotions and thrills. Everyone would support their country, he predicted, so the match will take center stage.
The fact that the team will be playing in the US “as a national side for the first time” raised additional worries from the captain regarding potential difficulties the playing surface might present.
Babar stated that the team was “processing collating various cricket and match-related information from players who have played there” in order to adequately prepare for the competition.
He stated that he was aware of the “responsibilities of a captain as there are additional expectations” in relation to his position.
It is necessary to be in contact with both the management and the players. To get the most performance out of your athletes, you must learn to regulate your emotions and support them. He continued, “You have to continually encourage them and give them the belief that they are the finest and can achieve more.
“Dream needs to raise the trophy.”
Babar stated, “As a batter, I have achieved decently and, as a captain, I have won a few series,” when discussing his goals for the World Cup.
Lifting the ICC trophy, however, has a distinct incentive. You elevate yourself and receive a great deal of recognition. Thus, lifting an ICC trophy and giving it to Pakistan is the goal, aim, and dream, he declared.
The captain expressed his happiness and excitement while emphasizing that winning the trophy would require him to “play top cricket against every side.”
“We control the effort, but we are unsure of the outcome. Our body language, interactions with one another, and how we carry ourselves on the ground will all be important.
Thinking back on past World Cups
Babar called the team’s performances in the previous two T20 World Cups “good,” but he also said Pakistan “could not finish on a high.”
The team was the runners-up in the Asia Cup 2022, he added. “So, at the back of our minds, we are thinking about how we have played two finals and a semi-final and how we can overcome the mistakes that derailed our campaigns.”
Babar stated that if two or three dot balls had been bowled in the latter moments of the 2021 Australia semi-final, the match could have been won. He emphasized, “We lost as a team and not because of an individual.”
The men’s captain commented, “In my opinion, we could have and should have won the India game in 2022, but they took it away,” referring the encounter in which the neighbors defeated Pakistan by a margin of four wickets.
But Babar pointed out that the “most hurtful” part of the tournament was the defeat to Zimbabwe, who defeated Pakistan by a single run. “It hurts more because people were praising our performance and fightback because we played good cricket against India.”
He cited Shaheen Afridi’s injury in the England final as a key factor in their loss, saying it “forced [them] to give an over to a spinner.”
