The Babar Azam-led Pakistan cricket team is gearing up for the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup, which kicks off next week in India. They landed in Hyderabad on Wednesday and have kicked off their preparations for the upcoming mega-event.
Pakistan players indulged in a two-hour practice session at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium on Thursday amid tight security. The team started with a warm-up session followed by fielding drills before kicking off the net practice. They will be playing two warm-up matches, against New Zealand on Friday and against Australia on Tuesday in Hyderabad.
Watch clips from Pakistan’s practice session:
Pakistan's first practice session in Hyderabad, India ahead of their warm-up match against New Zealand on 29th September 2023.#Cricket | #Pakistan | #BabarAzam𓃵 | #FakharZaman | #MohammadRizwan | #CWC23 | #India pic.twitter.com/2IfJFQ2LyA
— Khel Shel (@khelshel) September 28, 2023
We want to come out as winners: Babar Azam
Pakistan will begin their campaign in the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup on Friday, October 6 against the Netherlands at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. Skipper Babar Azam is optimistic about the team’s chances of winning the World Cup. He expressed that the main goal is to lift the trophy.
Before the team’s departure to India, the skipper addressed a press conference. Many experts have predicted Pakistan to be in the top four. Talking about the World Cup predictions, Babar Azam said,
“The top four is a small goal for us.”
“We want to come out as winners. We did not have enough time to put together a camp before the World Cup because we had been playing for too long continuously. Instead, we gave the players a break so they could come back refreshed and with the hunger to win. You play well when you have that hunger,” he added.
Pakistan’s World Cup squad for the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim
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