T20 World Cup 2024: Pakistan Will Look to be Positive: Babar Azam

Babar Azam seems to shrug off recent poor performances of Pakistan’s cricket team with recent comments. The cricketer hopes to lead the Men in Green through another campaign to secure the most-coveted prize in T20 international cricket.

Third Time’s the Charm?

Babar Azam has now led Pakistan to two separate T20 World Cups without a title to back their efforts so far. Fans hope his third stint at the T20 WC 2024 will bring cricket glory to Pakistan once more after their sole title win in 2009.

“It is now my career objective and target to win the T20 World Cup, relive those memories and present the title to the passionate people of Pakistan,”

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had this to say about Azam’s leadership at the T20 World Cup 2024:

“Babar Azam will be hoping it is third time lucky for him when he captains Pakistan in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which started in the United States and Caribbean on 1 June,”

Azam Comments on the T20 World Cup 2024

Anticipation ahead of group games

“It is time for the big one and I know each and every member of the side is anxiously waiting to start so that they can play their part and contribute to a strong and successful campaign,” Azam said.

Team selection

“In modern-day cricket, the concept and importance of floating players has become more critical than ever before and our players are aware of this as well as their roles and responsibilities,” Azam said.

First game vs USA

The USA have been bullish in recent cricket encounters, prompting Azam to follow their progress closely. USA’s cricket team defeated highly-rated Bangladesh at a recent T20 series before going on to hand Canada an opening-day scalp. Two wins in succession for USA cricket means that Azam doesn’t plan to entertain complacency in their encounter:

“We will give them the respect they deserve without being complacent,” Babar said. Pakistan’s main man will look to nip USA’s current form in the bud when they lock horns on June 6, 2024.

Monank Patel Comments on Babar Azam and T20 WC Match vs Pakistan

Admiration of Babar Azam

Team USA skipper Monank Patel has nothing but admiration for Babar Azam ahead of their meeting on June 6, 2024. The skilled cricketer heaped praise on Pakistan’s star man throughout a recent interview. Patel weighed in with these comments about the Men in Green skipper and USA’s chances against Pakistan:

“Babar is a great batsman in all the formats. He is the main player and he is the captain. If he plays long innings, we have seen in the past also. So yeah, his wicket will be really important for us and we all know his stats. He’s been very consistent in T20s,”

Recent victory and scheduled game vs Pakistan

Patel also shared his thoughts on USA’s recent victory versus Canada and what it means before facing Pakistan:

“The first game definitely helped us. We got good momentum. We will make sure that we carry forward that momentum in the next game. Pakistan is a good side, is a well-experienced side and we will make sure that we play the cricket we have been playing. Pakistan has good experienced bowlers. We will focus on Mohammad Amir, who is an experienced Pakistani bowler, we will try to tackle him well,”

Focus on USA cricket beyond Azam and Pakistan

Patel hopes to play the USA’s gameplan to perfection when they meet Pakistan at the group stages:

“I mean, we won’t focus much on the Pakistan side. We want to focus on our own cricket. And we want to make sure that we continue playing the way we’ve been playing. And you know, it’s T20. Once we have good 30-40 minutes on the field, you never know. We can take the game away,”

Pakistan Squad at the T20 World Cup 2024

Pakistan T20 World Cup 2024 Full Squad

Babar Azam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Usman Khan