Pakistan captain Babar Azam admitted that 'nerves' will play a role in their tense match against arch-rivals India and is hopeful of lifting the T20 World Cup trophy again. Pakistan won its first T20 World Cup honors in 2009. Since then, the Men in Green have almost tasted success but have fallen short every time. With the World Cup already underway, Pakistan will look to end the drought by lifting the title in the ongoing edition. But before the tournament reaches that stage, the headlines will be about the clash between one of the oldest rivalries in cricket: India and Pakistan.
Last time, India defeated its neighbors after Virat Kohli's heroics. Babar gave his take on the high-profile match to be played in New York on June 9 at the newly built Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.
“The whole world is focused on the day of the Pakistan-India match. Of course there will be nerves. It is always a pressure game,” Babar said while speaking on the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) podcast.
In the last edition, Pakistan reached the final of the competition but fell short against England in a low-scoring affair.
Babar talked about the expectations surrounding the team's chances of winning the title and how this serves as motivation for the entire team.
“Lifting the ICC trophy is another motivation. You go to another level and get a lot of praise. So the motivation, the aspiration and the dream remain to lift an ICC trophy and to extend these to Pakistan,” Babar noted.
“I'm happy and excited because when you go to play at a big event […] The hope is always to lift the trophy but for that we have to play top cricket against all sides,” he added.
Like the majority of teams, Pakistan has no knowledge of the playing conditions in the United States. Babar acknowledged the fact but revealed the measures they have taken to prepare for their first appearance in the US.
“We are in the process of collecting various cricket and match-related information from players who have played there, which can help us in our preparations,” he said.
Pakistan will kick off its campaign against the US on June 6. On June 9, they will take on arch-rivals India at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York.
Pakistan T20 World Cup squad: Babar Azam (c), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan.
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