– Pakistan captain Babar Azam has urged his team to keep morale high as they start their Twenty20 World Cup campaign amid a poor run of form.
Pakistan, the 2009 T20 World Cup winners, have performed well in the past two editions of the tournament, reaching the semi-finals in 2021 and losing to England in the 2022 final.
However, their preparations for this year’s tournaments in the United States and the West Indies were far from ideal, with a disastrous series defeat to Ireland in a match that they eventually won 2-1, followed by a 2-0 defeat to England in a rain-affected series.
“The effort is on our side but the outcome is unknown,” Babar said in a Pakistan Cricket Board podcast released on Sunday.
“How we present ourselves on the field, our body language and how we communicate with each other will be important. If we don’t stay positive, the results will follow. The conditions in the United States, being our first time going there as a national team, could be a challenge.”
“We are collecting various cricket and match-related information from players who have played there, which will help us in our preparations.”
Pakistan are in Group A of the World Cup and will open their campaign against hosts USA on June 6 before taking on arch rivals India three days later in one of the most anticipated matches of the tournament.
Pakistan and India have faced each other seven times in the T20 World Cup, with Pakistan winning only once.
“India-Pakistan matches are always the most talked about. Wherever you go in the world, there is too much talk about it,” Babar said.
“There’s a different atmosphere and excitement for the players. Everyone is rooting for their country and there’s a lot of attention on the match. On the day India plays Pakistan, the whole world is watching.”
“Obviously there will be nerves but you need to stay focused, stick to the basics and play easy cricket. It’s always a pressure game. The more you keep calm and believe in your skills and effort, the easier things will be.”
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