Pakistan captain Babar Azam has on Monday (October 11) recounted Men in Green’s “excellent record” in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as the star batter is confident of his team’s chances in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2021, starting from October 17.
Since the conditions in the UAE really suited the Pakistan players, Babar has stressed the need to take the advantage of the conditions during the T20 World Cup 2021.
Notably, the UAE had been a home ground for Pakistan for a decade and hosted most of their games there. However, some of the international teams have started touring Pakistan in recent years, but still, the top teams like Australia and England deny visiting the country.
Babar told ESPNCricinfo: “Our record there is excellent; it's the place where we became world No. 1. The performances we produced both as a team and individually, so the conditions really suited us. Our record and consistency there is proof of that. These days we understand teams are playing more positive cricket, and we need to continue to do that, too.”
However, the Pakistan skipper was realistic with his team’s struggle ahead of the T20 World Cup to be played from October 17 to November 14 in the UAE and Oman.
He mentioned, “We're struggling in two areas, middle order and death bowling, and have done for some time. We've tried different combinations and tried to assess who could suit the team if they played in certain positions. It didn't work out, unfortunately, but that's cricket.”
Azam signed off by saying, “If you select players, you cannot guarantee that they will perform. There are ups and downs, and the players we selected were chosen because they had performed elsewhere. You need to take your chances if you want to stay on the Pakistan team. You will have to perform consistently; otherwise, you get demoted to the bench.”
