The green shirts will tackle outsiders Netherlands in their opening match of the World Cup on Friday
Babar Azam says the first tournament match is always important and the team wanted a winning start
HYDERABAD: Pakistan tackle outsiders Netherlands in their opening match of the World Cup on Friday desperate to avoid a repeat of the disastrous start of four years ago which undermined their campaign.
In 2019, Pakistan lost to the West Indies first up in Nottingham.
Shot out for a paltry 105 in 21.4 overs, Pakistan went down by seven wickets. They eventually missed out on a semifinal spot on net run-rate.
Four years on and Pakistan are already riding a familiar tournament rollercoaster.
They crashed out of last month’s Asia Cup after a big defeat against arch-rivals India before being ousted by Sri Lanka in the Super Four stage.
They also lost both their recent World Cup warm-ups against New Zealand and Australia.
Despite the sketchy form, captain Babar Azam insists his team are ready for the World Cup in a country which only two of the squad have ever visited.
Pakistan last played in India in 2016 at the Twenty20 World Cup.
“We had good practice in the last week since our arrival and two useful workouts in the warm-up games,” said Azam.
The captain is the top-ranked batsman in ODI cricket and reinforced his credentials with knocks of 80 and 90 in the two warm-ups, returning to form after a dismal Asia Cup.
“The first match of a tournament is always very important so we are...
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