Ex-captain: “Very Good Side Led by One of Modern Greats in Babar Azam”; Pakistan to Win WC 2023
The schedule for the 50-over World Cup, which begins on October 5 in Ahmedabad, was released by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday. Given the same circumstances at Indian venues, Pakistan’s arch-rivals will also be vying for a second global crown in the 50-over format when the main event returns to India.
Wasim Akram, a former captain of Pakistan, thinks that if the team’s players can stay healthy and in shape, they can win the championship. Pakistan has a seasoned set of players backing up their captain, No. 1 rated ODI batsman Babar Azam, and Wasim anticipates that the playing conditions in India throughout the competition would favor his previous squad.
Wasim Akram told the ICC, “We have a terrific team…a very good one-day side and are captained by one of the modern-day greats in Babar Azam.
“They will have a chance of doing well in that World Cup because it is played in our type of conditions in India on the sub-continent,” the former Pakistan captain added. “As long as they are fit and as long as they play according to the plan.”
Babar Azam, the captain of Pakistan, has been the team’s most reliable hitter. Since the 2019 World Cup, when they won five of their nine games but just missed qualifying for the semi-finals owing to a lower net run rate, he has scored eight of his 18 ODI hundreds.
Due of his admiration for Babar, Wasim wouldn’t be shocked if the Pakistani skipper upped his game at the World Cup.
Wasim said, “I believe he can (become better), since he is the finest player we have.
“Everything he does is followed by the whole nation. He draws spectators to the stadium regardless of the kind of cricket being played—T20, one-day, or Test—and, in my view, he possesses the most exquisite cover drive in the whole world.
Since Babar assumed the leadership responsibilities for the Pakistan ODI team, they have been doing well. They have only lost nine 50-over matches since the 2019 World Cup, and as a result, they are presently rated second in the ODI team rankings.
