Pakistan's cricket captain, Babar Azam, Tuesday affirmed that his team is heading to the ICC World Cup in India brimming with 'confidence and without pressure' as they prepared to compete in the arch-rivals nation for the very first time.
While addressing a press conference in Lahore today, Babar emphatically denied any discord within the team. He emphasized the strong bond among the players, stating, "Everyone gives me respect...and see when you lose close matches then certain disagreements".
He then said, "I try to maintain unity; I make very few changes,” assuring that "There is no fight within the team; everyone's respect is the same and will remain the same".
"We love each other like a family," he added.
The captain dismissed any notions of pressure related to playing cricket in India, emphasizing, "There is no pressure on us to play cricket in India". Instead, he articulated his commitment to improvement: "We will try to improve our performance by learning from mistakes".
Babar Azam pledged, "I will strive to give the best performance for the team against the best team." He underlined that players would be judged based on their recent performances.
"The less pressure there is, the better the performance will be," he remarked.
He also emphasized distinct strategies for the Asia Cup and the forthcoming World Cup, stating, "The team's planning for the Asia Cup was different, and another plan for the upcoming event would be different."
“For the World Cup, there is thorough preparation," he stated adding that “Leading the national team in a World Cup is an immense honor”.
He further added, "As a team, we will strive to perform well and win the World Cup".
Reflecting on past setbacks, Babar Azam admitted, "We couldn't play in the Asia Cup the way we wanted to. We learn from defeats and focus on doing better".
He acknowledged the role of the players who participated in the Asia Cup, stating, "In the Asia Cup, the same boys played who were giving good performances".
He stressed the importance of adaptive planning, asserting, "Planning is done based on conditions. We will plan for the World Cup considering the conditions."
Taking into account the grueling cricketing calendar, Babar Azam acknowledged, "After the continuous games, players deserve some rest".
He emphasized that every match is unique, and there are no identical mistakes, recognizing that fielding needed improvement: "There are deficiencies in our fielding; we need to improve it. We will try to reduce mistakes and enhance good aspects".
Amid criticism regarding their middle-over bowling performance, Babar Azam revealed that he had spoken with Shadab Khan, the team's spinner. Together, they found mutual confidence and resolved to improve their performance.
"We will work on improving fielding and the middle order. We are discussing the players' performance," he said, adding that "I have more faith in my players than in myself".
Commenting on the absence of Naseem Shah, Babar Azam remarked, "We will feel his absence in the World Cup".
The 28-year-old promised fans an exciting tournament: "We will entertain the fans in the World Cup." And with his sights set on the opening match against India in Ahmedabad, he declared, "Not just one match, but we will aim to win the remaining two matches".
The Pakistani cricket team embarks on this journey following their fourth-place finish in the recently concluded Asia Cup, which saw their ICC ODI ranking slide to second place.
