Five days ago, the team arrived in Dallas. Since then, they haven’t been able to train properly because of bad weather that has been following them since they got back from England.
Even though there were problems, the Pakistan leader was positive and seemed focused on winning the T20 World Cup 2024. He said that his team was “well prepared.”
During the last practice, Babar spoke to the reporters and said, “What my team needs from me is my commitment, not tracking personal records.” “We came to the United States ready to learn.” It’s clear to us what kind of game we want to play. Our goal is to do well in the World Cup and emerge victorious.
Most of the teams are playing at a new place because this is the first time an international cricket tournament has been held in the USA. All of the teams now have a new problem to solve.
But Babar was sure that this wouldn’t be a problem for the Men in Green because he thought they had dealt with similar situations before.
“Our batters have been practicing indoors and our bowlers have been improving their skills on the field,” he said, pointing out that the best way to practice is to use the tools that are available.
“If there are no warm-up matches, it made us no difference as we have been constantly playing,” he said.
“Some of our players have played in the US before.” “This helps them understand how things work here,” he said, adding that all-rounders Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, and fast bowler Haris Rauf have played here before.
Pakistan takes a hit
While the combination wasn’t chosen, Pakistan’s all-rounder Imad Wasim got hurt and couldn’t play in the first game of the season because of a side strain.
Imad missed the series decider against England as well. He came back to the New Zealand T20Is earlier this year after having a great season in the Pakistan Super League.
“Imad Wasim is suffering from a side strain, which means he won’t be able to play in our opening match,” Babar said.
Even though they lost, the captain was still hopeful that Wasim would be able to play in the rest of the games in the mega cricket event.
“Although Imad won’t play the first game, we hope that he will be available for the rest of the matches,” he said.
As of late, Pakistan has been trying out a lot of different opening orders. In the first spot for the last few games, Babar, Mohammad Rizwan, and Saim Ayub have been switching places.
There is also a story like this in the middle order. Pakistan doesn’t follow through with anything.
When asked what the plans were for the team, especially the batting order, Babar said that the batter would not have a “fixed batting position.”
He stated that it would “change based on the circumstance and the plan.”
“Unfortunately, Saim Ayub wasn’t able to do what was asked of him.” “He could have changed the game, but he couldn’t get the chance he needed,” he said.
Faith without conditions
Because of his form, Shadab Khan has been the talk of Pakistani cricket fans for the past year. This all-rounder has only played eight games and scored 93 runs at an average of 18.60. He has also taken only six wickets with the ball.
But the Pakistan leader has always turned to him, and Babar thinks that makes him “the most reliable” player.
“As captain, I trust every player, but Shadab is the most reliable because he was there for us no matter what.”
The captain talked about the upcoming match between Pakistan and the US on June 6 and said he was confident in his team’s ability to do well.
“The home conditions favour the US, but I believe in our team’s ability to play good cricket,” he said.
As the team gets ready for the World Cup, Babar stressed how important it was for the older players to take responsibility and learn from past mistakes.
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, and Usman Khan make up the team. Babar Azam is captain.
The games that Pakistan is playing:
June 6: Play against the USA at Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium in Dallas
9 June: New York’s Nassau County International Cricket Stadium hosts a match against India.
11 June: home game against Canada at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York
16 June: match against Ireland at Central Broward Park and Broward County Stadium in Lauderhill, Florida
