Babar Azam-Led Pakistan Kicks Off Cricket World Cup 2023 Campaign
The much-anticipated moment for Pakistan cricket fans arrives tomorrow (Friday) as Babar Azam-led Pakistan begin their ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 campaign against the Netherlands at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium. Since arriving in the city eight days ago, which also marked the first instance of a Pakistan men’s side landing in India in seven years, the Babar Azam’s side has made the most of the training sessions and two warm-up games to acclimatize in the city where they play the first two of their nine league matches.
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The warm-up games against New Zealand and Australia also served as opportunities for Pakistan to fine-tune their combinations and provide much-needed match time to the entire squad. We have been in Hyderabad for a week, and our preparations have been really good, Babar told PCB Digital on the eve of Pakistan’s Cricket World Cup tournament opener. We have had two practice matches in which we tried different combinations and allowed everyone to see if they could play in any situation. Overall our practice went well, and we will give our best.
Pakistan enters the 50-over Cricket World Cup as one of the favorites after an impressive run in the just-concluded Cricket World Cup cycle as they had the best win-loss ratio of 2.400 with 24 wins in 36 matches. That the team has performed so consistently has also been because of their mainstays emerging as solid performers over the years.
Rising Stars: Pakistan’s Bowling Prowess in the Cricket World Cup
Their captain, Babar Azam, has evolved into a modern-day great since recording the most runs for a Pakistani at a CWC in the 2019 iteration and is perched at the top of the ICC ODI rankings for batters. He is one of the two players to score over 2,000 runs in the last four years. His impressive 2,196 runs have been at an average of 66.54 and a strike rate of 93.72. He has smashed nine centuries in this period, which is the joint-most with Shai Hope, who is the other batter to breach the 2,000-run mark.
Babar Azam’s compatriot Imam-ul-Haq ranks sixth with 1,284 runs, averaging 45.85 with a strike rate of 84.41. He boasts two centuries and 13 half-centuries in the past four years. Shaheen Afridi, the youngest bowler to claim a five-wicket haul in his last ICC Cricket World Cup contest, has become one of the game’s most-feared bowlers. Despite a seven-month sideline due to a knee injury, Shaheen remains a key asset in Pakistan’s pace attack. With 46 wickets in the last four years at an average of 25.26 and an impressive economy of 5.42.
In between the two editions, Pakistan continued to produce exciting fast-bowling talents. Haris Rauf, who debuted in October 2020, has made a name for himself with excellent spells in the middle overs, arguably the hardest phase of the ODI game. He crossed the 50-wicket mark in the recent Men’s ODI Asia Cup 2023, totaling 53 scalps with an impressive economy of 5.68 and that is a good sign for Cricket World Cup.
Pakistan’s Dual Strengths in Batting and Bowling for the Cricket World Cup
Babar Azam replied that bowling and batting are our strengths when asked about his side’s strengths. Our batters have been performing from the top to the lower orders. Every player is stepping up and taking responsibility. In bowling, our fast bowling has always been our strength, but even our spinners are showing promise. Since we have come to India, we have seen our spinners take wickets in the middle overs, which is a good sign for CWC.
When Pakistan faces the Netherlands on Friday, it will be the first time in nearly 11 years that they play an ODI Cricket World Cup on Indian soil. They have not played a single 50-over international game in Hyderabad since 1987, but the team has ensured that they have all preparations in place for the mega-event.
In my experience, and from watching matches in India on television, the pitches appear to be of high quality, conducive to high-scoring games in the Cricket World Cup. The boundaries are of standard size, neither too small nor overly large. These pitches are consistent – sometimes demanding more time for batters to settle in early in the game, but becoming more favorable as the match progresses.
There is not much margin for the bowlers as they have to keep their lines wicket-to-wicket and employ variations. If they deviate from their lines, batters will capitalize on it, Babar Azam noted. Reflecting on the past four years, Babar Azam shared, My journey has been quite positive. I’ve experienced ups and downs, which is natural. Challenges have arisen at times, but I’ve aimed to meet the fans’ expectations. I’ve had the opportunity to meet some wonderful individuals in the process, including my teammates with whom I’ve developed strong bonds over the three years of playing together.
Mickey Arthur’s Strategy for Pakistan in the CWC
We spend more time with each other than with our families, supporting and striving for Pakistan’s success. Recalling the warm reception the Pakistan team received at Hyderabad airport last week, Babar expressed gratitude to the Indian people who turned out in large numbers to greet his team. He expressed hope that he would soon witness Pakistan’s fans across India during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, cheering for their team.
We weren’t anticipating such a reception, to be honest. Many people gathered at the airport upon our arrival here. They cheered for us and showed their support looks Cricket World Cup will be full of Excitement. A sizable crowd attended the last match. They seemed to genuinely enjoy the game and showed support for their favorite players. It’s heartwarming. I believe having Pakistani fans here would make it even more special.
The Friday encounter between Pakistan and the Netherlands marks their seventh meeting in an ODI. The two teams have clashed six times in the format, with their initial encounter taking place in the 1996 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. On each of these occasions, Pakistan emerged victorious. Pakistan visited the Netherlands last year for their first-ever bilateral series, achieving a clean sweep.
Coach Mickey Arthur hopes his team secures two wins before the eagerly-awaited Cricket World Cup blockbuster against old rivals India. The 1992 champions will face the Netherlands in Hyderabad on Friday and Sri Lanka at the same venue four days later. Following these matches, Pakistan will compete against India in Ahmedabad on October 14, in front of 132,000 fans in the world’s largest cricket arena.
Cricket World Cup Warm-Up Challenges: Pakistan’s Road to India
Pakistan aims to rebound from a poor showing in the recent Asia Cup, where they suffered a 228-run defeat at the hands of India and lost by two wickets against Sri Lanka. They also faced defeats in both Cricket World Cup warm-up games against New Zealand and Australia, also in Hyderabad. Arthur emphasized his team’s focus on the Netherlands rather than India.
We’re not getting too far ahead of ourselves, he said. First of all, the boys love being in India, which is fantastic. The pressure of a Cricket World Cup is always massive. But I think our boys are in a really good place. The Pakistan Cricket Board appointed Arthur in April this year for a second stint, in addition to his job with Derbyshire in the English county championship.
He vowed to complete the unfinished business of winning a second Cricket World Cup to add to Pakistan’s 1992 triumph. I felt in 2019 we were very, very close, said Arthur, despite Pakistan failing to reach the semi-finals. These young boys have now become men and have another four years of experience. They’re a very close-knit group, both teammates and friends.
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