Babar Azam, Pakistan’s all-format captain, stated on Tuesday that the nation’s top-ranked ODI team still has work to do in order to win the next ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2023 and the ICC Men’s World Cup in India.
Babar Azam eyes Asia Cup World Cup glory: Pakistan, under the leadership of Babar Azam, enters the Asia Cup with enthusiasm. After defeating Afghanistan 3-0 in Sri Lanka on Saturday, they topped the ICC rankings for ODI teams. Since April, the team has topped the chart twice, most recently now. In this World Cup cycle, Pakistan had 22 wins in 31 games for the greatest win/loss ratio of 2.750.
When asked if being the top-ranked side comes with more pressure, Babar Azam responded, “I wouldn’t say that there is a pressure. Instead, we’re more assured going into this competition.
This team has worked extremely hard and diligently over the past few years, and our achievement of the top rank is a testament to that. We still need to win the Asia Cup and the World Cup, so the mission is not complete.
“The upcoming months will be challenging and exciting, and we are motivated to do well for our nation.
“Every player on this team raises his hand and says, ‘I want to win matches for my nation. They never hesitate to put in the hard work and never back down from challenging circumstances. The last few months have been wonderful, and now is the time to continue the momentum.
“Exciting Beginnings: Men’s ODI Asia Cup 2023 Set to Kick Off with Pakistan vs Nepal Clash”
Men’s ODI Asia Cup 2023 is finally here, and it kicks off tomorrow with a Group-A match between top-ranked One-Day International team Pakistan and Nepal at the Multan Cricket Stadium.
The match has a number of firsts as Multan, Pakistan, and Nepal, as a team, participate in the continental competition for the first time. At the highest level, Pakistan and Nepal are also competing for the first time.
The last time Pakistan played in this format at Multan was in June of last year, when the host team thoroughly defeated the West Indies, 3-0, in a three-match series. The group has won seven of the ten ODIs played here.
On the eve of the game, Pakistan captain Babar Azam remarked, “Playing in front of the enthusiastic Multan fans is always a terrific sensation, and we are all very happy that the Asia Cup is commencing from this city.
“I want to congratulate Nepal for earning a spot in the Asia Cup, and I hope that their presence will help the sport in that nation grow. It will be a good match, and we are looking forward to playing Nepal,” he added.
Pakistan will depart for Sri Lanka on August 31 in order to travel to Kandy for the second Group-A encounter on September 2. On September 4th, the location will also play host to India and Nepal’s third and final group encounter.
Pakistan squad for Asia Cup 2023:Â Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Afridi and Usama Mir.