As the squad sought official authorisation to compete in the competition, captain Babar Azam stated on Thursday that Pakistan are prepared to take on any team at any stadium in India during this year’s World Cup.
Babar Azam ready to play in India: On October 15, Pakistan and India will square off at Ahmedabad’s 132,000-seat Narendra Modi stadium. This will be the first time since 2012 that either team has hosted a match.
The most recent time the neighbours faced off was at the T20 World Cup in Australia last year. The neighbours are fierce political rivals and only ever play each other in international tournaments at neutral sites.
This week, the Pakistan Cricket Board wrote to Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister, as well as the interior and foreign ministries, requesting formal authorization to compete in the competition.
Azam stated that neither the opponent nor the venue mattered.
“I am thinking that we are going to play the World Cup – not just against India,” he said during a news conference on Thursday.
“We don’t concentrate on a single team. We can only advance to the final if we defeat the other nine teams.
One of the tournament’s highlights, the match between Pakistan and India, is set to take place in the brand-new Ahmedabad Stadium on October 5.
When presenting the World Cup schedule last month, the International Cricket Council rejected Pakistan’s objections to the location.
Pakistan Cricket Team’s Busy Schedule: Tests, World Cup, and Asia Cup Await
As experts, we must be prepared, Azam declared.
“We will travel and play wherever there is cricket and matches. We want to tour internationally.
Pakistan is slated to play matches at Ahmedabad, Hyderabad Deccan, Chennai, Bengaluru, and Kolkata, in addition to Ahmedabad.
Up until November 19, there will be a World Cup.
Prior to that, Pakistan will play a two-match Test series in Sri Lanka this month.
After a vacation, we are eager to resume and preparing for the World Cup, Azam stated.
The first Test begins on July 16 in Galle, and the second on July 24 in Colombo.
From August 31 to September 17, Pakistan will participate in the six-nation Asia Cup as well.
Pakistan will host the first four games, while Sri Lanka will host the final and the final nine.