Babar Azam paved the way for a significant victory for Pakistan in the World Cup in 2021, achieving their first-ever triumph against arch-rivals, India. This marked the end of Pakistan's long-standing losing streak against the Indian cricket team in their 13th World Cup face-off. Babar Azam's leadership has ignited a new era in Pakistan cricket and their bowling legend, Waqar Younis, predicts Pakistan to be powerful contenders for the ODI World Cup 2023 title.
Commenting on Pakistan's talent-rich squad for the One Day International (ODI) World Cup to be held in India, former Pakistani captain Younis reflected on the intense pressure of India-Pakistan matches. Younis, who entered the international cricket scene alongside celebrated Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar in 1989, acknowledged that the 'game stress' of the electrifying clashes between India and Pakistan was never a 'major worry' during his tenure. Fondly known as the Burewala Express, the celebrated fast bowler conceded that Pakistan had a tendency to falter against India in ICC events.
Discussing the previous cricket era, Younis admitted, "Back then, the pressure wasn't as significant as it seems today. The less you play against a formidable team, the more intense the pressure becomes when you finally do face them - especially if it's an India-Pakistan match. Pressure is always high, but perhaps it was relatively less in my early cricket days. However, during the World Cup, we tended to falter against India. Despite this, current players handle the stress better and have the potential to secure victories," as reported by Cricket Pakistan.
Following the dramatic 2021 World Cup match, India got their revenge with a nail-biting victory against Pakistan at the 2022 World Cup in Australia, under the command of Rohit Sharma. Younis, who led the Pakistani team in the 2003 World Cup in South Africa, has highlighted four influential players who could potentially lead Pakistan to success in the upcoming ICC event in India.
Babar, Shaheen, Fakhar can be gamechanger
Speaking of the current team's capabilities, Waqar added, “Pakistan team have handled pressure in a better way in the recent past. In my opinion, it doesn't matter wherever you play, irrespective of whether in India or Pakistan, if you have your process in check and are executing your skills and plans sufficiently well, so I don't think so we have any issue. We have match-winners, we have individuals that can win you matches single-handedly, including Babar himself, Shaheen - Fakhar can do wonders, then, of course, we have seen Imam playing great innings, so all-in-all, Pakistan has all the resources definitely, now it's just the matter of putting things together and handling pressure”.
Imbroglio over Pakistan's WC participation still lingers
There is still uncertainty surrounding Pakistan's participation in the forthcoming ODI World Cup to be held in India. According to recent updates, PCB Chief Operating Officer, Salman Naseer, is seeking government approval for the men's team to participate in the World Cup. The final decision will be made by Pakistan's Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, after reviewing suggestions from a 14-member panel. Zaka Asharaf, who leads the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) management committee, recently held a meeting with a high-ranking panel appointed by the Pakistan Prime Minister.
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