India-Pakistan matches have been the highlight of World Cups over the last three decades. India have not faced a defeat at the hands of Pakistan in an ODI World Cup. Shaheen Afridi who played a major role in Pakistan's maiden World Cup win (T20I) in 2021 edition feels that the focus should be on the entire World Cup campaign and not just one match.
"We should stop thinking and concentrating on just India versus Pakistan match because that’s just one game. We need to focus our thoughts on how to win the World Cup, and as a team, this will be our aim," the left-arm pacer told a local news channel.
Afridi who got injured in the T20 World Cup 2022 final is set to make his comeback to Test cricket. "I am fully fit; that's why I'm back in the Test team. If I hadn't been fully match fit, my name wouldn't have been in the squad. I will be playing for Pakistan's national team, not for a club level team," the left-arm pacer said.
So far, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has not confirmed whether Pakistan will come to India for ODI World Cup 2023 or not. As per reports, PCB had written a letter to the Pakistan government asking for permission.
Pakistan will start their World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 campaign on July 16 with two-Test series on Sri Lanka soil. In the previous cycle, Pakistan finished seventh on WTC points table with four wins from 14 Test and a win percentage of 38.10.
Pakistan could not take advantage of home conditions in the previous WTC cycle as they could not beat Australia and New Zealand as they were missing the services of their premier pacer Afridi. Also, the pitches did not offer much assistance to the bowlers. PCB also copped criticism for not providing balance between bat and ball.
Since Afridi made his Test debut he has been the highest wicket-taker for Pakistan in the longest format. He has 99 wickets from 25 Tests. He has a massive lead on others. The second highest wicket-taker for Pakistan since Afridi's Test debut is Hasan Ali who has 55 wickets from 16 Tests.
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