The Babar Azam-led Pakistan cricket team arrived in India on September 27 ahead of the ICC World Cup 2023. This is the first time in seven years that the Pakistan men’s cricket team is visiting the country which is hosting the 2023 World Cup this time. The exciting tournament begins on October 5 and ends on November 19.
When the team reached Hyderabad, they were warmly welcomed at Hyderabad Airport. Excited crowds, stopped by officers, cheered and chanted the name of team leader Babar Azzam as the Pakistanis arrived at the airport in the southern city of Hyderabad. The World Cup is scheduled to be held from October 5 to November 19 in India. Pakistani captain Babar Azam also shared an Instagram story where he said: “Angry at the love support here in Hyderabad.”
Shaheen Afridi also took to his official Instagram account and wrote: “Great welcome so far.”
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Before their arrival, Men in Green captain Babar stressed that their main goal was the World Cup and not a top four finish.
“Getting into the top four is a small target for us. We want to come out winners. We didn’t have enough time to prepare a camp before the World Cup because we had been playing for a long time continuously. We wanted to give the players a chance to win the World Cup.” “We got a break so they can come back fresh and with the desire to win,” Babar said in a press conference. “You play well when you have that hunger.”
Before the World Cup, Pakistan will play its friendly match against New Zealand which is scheduled to be played in Hyderabad on September 29 behind closed doors.
The team will begin its World Cup campaign by facing the Netherlands on October 6 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
Pakistan World Cup squad: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Fakhar Zaman, Imam ul Haq, Abdullah Shafiq, Muhammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Muhammad Nawaz, Osama Mir. Haris Rauf, Hassan Ali, Shaheen Afridi and Mohammed Waseem.
(With inputs from Annie)
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Updated: Sep 28, 2023, 07:42 AM IST
