New Delhi: Babar Azam, the captain of Pakistan, spoke about the match against India and their plans to tour the nation in October and November for the first time since the World Cup 2023 schedule was released.
The Pakistan Cricket Board has requested the ICC and BCCI to change the location of two of its matches, against Australia in Bengaluru and opposite Afghanistan in Chennai, despite the fact that the schedule has been released.
This is reportedly owing to security concerns. Both petitions were denied, and the most recent development is that the Pakistani government will only issue a final clearance after being completely satisfied with the security measures.
After returning to Pakistan from the Hajj, Babar held his first press conference in preparation for the series against Sri Lanka. Babar was nevertheless asked whether Pakistan would finally end their World Cup winning drought despite coming near on the previous two times. Babar responded succinctly when asked about the possibility of hoisting an ICC World Cup trophy for the first time, and that too in India, where the reporter alleged that "Pakistan cricket is being degraded."
Also Read: Cricket Community Showers Love and Wishes on MS Dhoni's Spectacular 42nd Birthday
"I've been hearing a lot. We are going to play the World Cup, not to play against India. Barring India, there are other different teams whom we have to play against. If we can beat them, we will play the final. Our focus is not on one team but all 10 of them. Our plan is to play well against all teams, win matches and then secure a ticket of the final," the Pakistan captain said.
The world's largest cricket stadium, the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, will host the India vs. Pakistan blockbuster on October 15. Babar and his men will be eager to rewrite history, which is strongly stacked in India's favor. The 1992 champions eventually ended the curse with a 10-wicket defeat at the 2021 T20 World Cup, but the 50-over format is a very other animal.
India is 7-0 up against Pakistan in ODI World Cups. In addition, no member of this team, including skipper Babar, would have experienced the challenge of Pakistan playing a cricket match in India after ten years in front of 1,30,000 spectators.
Also Read: A Glorious Journey: Remembering the Remarkable Achievements of MS Dhoni on his Birthday
"Our thought is simple. Wherever there is cricket, there are matches… we have to go and play. As a professional, you have to be ready for everything – play in different conditions and environment. This is what we call challenge. As a player and captain, my aim is to go to every country and perform well, dominate and win matches for Pakistan. So that is what is on our minds and not that we have to play well against one team," Babar added.
Also Read: Zero Tolerance: MCC Takes Swift Action, Bans Members Involved in Controversial Incident