Pakistan cricket team captain Babar Azam has expressed his unwavering determination to pursue victory from the very first ball of the upcoming ICC World Cup 2023 matches. The highly anticipated tournament is set to commence tomorrow in India, featuring defending champions England and the 2019 World Cup runners-up, New Zealand.
Reflecting on their warm-up matches against New Zealand and Australia in Hyderabad, India, Pakistan experienced defeats in both encounters. Despite this, Babar Azam highlighted the significance of winning the opening match in mega tournaments. He expressed satisfaction with the warm-up matches, saying they provided valuable practice and helped the Pakistani players adjust to the prevailing conditions.
Emphasizing the team’s commitment, Babar Azam stated that Pakistan would not underestimate any opponent in the ICC World Cup 2023. He also commended the Netherlands for showcasing exceptional cricketing skills during the qualifying rounds of the tournament.
In an ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 warm-up fixture held on Tuesday, Australia emerged victorious against Pakistan by 14 runs at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, India. Opting to bat first, Australia scored 351-7 in their allotted 50 overs, with Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green contributing significant half-centuries to their team’s total. Despite commendable fifties from Babar Azam, Iftikhar Ahmed, and Mohammad Nawaz during the chase, Pakistan’s efforts fell short as they were dismissed for 337 in 47.4 overs.