Connect with us

Sports

Babar Azam confident of Pakistan’s prospects in World Cup 2023

Published

on

  • Babar’s remarks comes amid doubts over Pakistan’s particpation in World Cup.
  • “We can’t say anything about that, but wherever we get a chance to play, we will play,” he says.
  • Pakistan beat a depleted New Zealand 4-1 in the five-match series.

KARACHI: Skipper Babar Azam assured the cricket fans that the “dominant” one-day series win over New Zealand has set Pakistan up nicely for the World Cup.

Babar’s remarks comes amid doubts over Pakistan’s participation in the World Cup in October-November because of tensions with hosts India.

Despite the looming uncertainty and defeat in the final match on Sunday, Babar was in buoyant mood.

A day earlier, Pakistan beat a depleted New Zealand 4-1 in the five-match series and on their way briefly reached the top of the one-day rankings for the first time.

Pakistan scored 337 in the second match — their second-highest successful chase in one-day internationals — and Babar became the fastest player to 5,000 ODI runs en route to his 18th century in the format.

Opener Fakhar Zaman meanwhile achieved the distinction of hitting hundreds in three successive ODIs, firmly establishing his place in Pakistan’s top three, which also includes opener Imam-ul-Haq.

“Winning the series is great and so is achieving number one ranking that has set us in a good position for the World Cup,” said the skipper.

Asked if the uncertainty over participation was worrying for the Pakistan team, Babar said: “We can’t say anything about that, but wherever we get a chance to play, we will play.”

The stand-off started last year when India announced it would not send a team to Pakistan for the Asia Cup in September, a month before the World Cup.

In response, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has threatened to pull out of the World Cup.

There are signs of a thaw, however. Last week Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari visited India to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Goa — the first visit by a senior Pakistani official in years.

No easy win

Babar refused to accept that in missing eight of their top players — mostly due to Indian Premier League duty — New Zealand were easy to beat.

“You don’t play an international team thinking that they are a junior team,” said Babar.

“You have to give 100% to win against an international team, so we played better and dominated.”

Pakistan won the first two matches by five and seven wickets in Rawalpindi before clinching the next two by 26 and 102 runs in Karachi.

New Zealand took the final game by 47 runs, also in Karachi.

Stand-in New Zealand skipper Tom Latham said the series was useful despite the results.

“We wanted to expose players to different roles and I think it was a great opportunity for all of them to experience these conditions,” he said.

New Zealand are sweating on the fitness of regular skipper Kane Williamson, who injured his knee during the IPL and looks likely to miss the World Cup.

New Zealand were runners-up in the last two World Cups, in 2015 and 2019.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Pakistan

Sources claim that Babar was reappointed as the cricket team’s captain.

Published

on

By

Reappointing Babar Azam to lead the national squad upon the call of the newly-formed selection committee was decided by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday.

Sources claim that Babar will captain the Green Shirts in the upcoming five-match Twenty20 series against New Zealand, which kicks off on April 20.

After the team’s crushing defeat in the ICC World Cup 2023, Shaheen Shah Afridi was chosen as the white-ball captain, while Shan Masood was named the red-ball captain by the previous PCB administration.

The sources claimed that Babar’s appointment as captain was suggested by the selection committee. They said he will go to the Kakul training camp as captain.

Shaheen had chosen to step down, but his close friends urged him against it and to wait for the PCB’s decision, according to individuals close to him.

After guiding the team for four years, Babar resigned as captain of the national team in all formats in November of last year. After Pakistan’s poor performance in both the Asia Cup and the World Cup, where they were unable to advance to the semi-finals, he faced criticism for several months.

Although Babar was named Test and white-ball captain in 2020 and 2019, respectively, the side has neither won an Asia Cup nor an ICC championship while he has been captain.

Continue Reading

Latest News

It looks like Pakistan will choose Babar Azam as captain once more!

Published

on

By

Due to Pakistan’s appalling performance in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, the right-handed hitter resigned as captain of the team in all formats of the game. The team lost five of its nine group-stage games, preventing them from making it to the semifinals.

Sources claim that Babar Azam has been contacted by representatives of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), and a meeting with him is scheduled prior to his departure for Abbottabad, where he will join his teammates for a fitness camp at the military academy Kakul.

It is important to note that during a meeting with Zaka Ashraf, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the prolific batter announced his resignation.

The governing body said that Shaheen Afridi will captain the squad in the Twenty20 internationals after he tendered his resignation.

The talented player, who was named the T20I team’s captain in November, has only served as skipper for one series—five games in New Zealand—during which Pakistan lost 4-1.

His series defeat by New Zealand was followed by a terrible PSL season for the Lahore Qalandars, who managed only one victory in ten games.

Continue Reading

Pakistan

Australia releases the schedule for the White Ball Series versus Pakistan.

Published

on

By

In the summer of 2024–2025, the Pakistan Cricket Team will travel to Australia for a white-ball series. Six games in all, three ODIs and as many T20Is, will be played in the series between November 4, 2024, and November 18, 2024, at six different venues.

The Melbourne Cricket Ground will host the start of the three-match Dettol Men’s ODI series on November 4th, according to the itinerary that was made public. Next up are matches between Australia and Pakistan in Perth on November 10 and Adelaide on November 8, respectively.

Australia and Pakistan will play three matches in the Dettol Men’s T20I Series after November 14. In 2022, Pakistan played their final Twenty20 International match on Australian soil when the men in green competed in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final.

Cricket Australia releases the schedule for the Pakistan white ball series.

The Gabba in Brisbane will serve as the series’ launchpad. The action will next shift to Sydney Cricket Ground, where Pakistan defeated New Zealand in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup semi-final in their most recent Twenty20 International there. The tour’s last destination is Hobart, where the final Twenty20 International match is scheduled for November 18.

Complete itinerary: ODI Series

November 4: Melbourne’s MCG
November 8 at Adelaide’s Oval
Perth Stadium, Perth T20I Series, November 10

November 14: Brisbane’s The Gabba
November 16: Sydney’s SCG
18 November: Hobart’s Bellerive Oval
The last time Pakistan and Australia played an ODI series there was in 2016, and the host team won.

Continue Reading

Trending