Daily Times

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam said on Wednesday the national cricket team was ready to compete in the Twenty20 World Cup, describing the bowling attack as the squad’s strength during the tournament.

The Green Shirts are scheduled to play their first World Cup match against the USA on June 6 in Dallas, Texas. The team produced mixed results on the recent tour of Ireland and England, pivotal to their preparations for the major T20 tournament.

They won the T20I series against Ireland but lost the T20I series to England. These performances reflected Pakistan’s ongoing adjustments and preparations heading into the T20 World Cup. “If we talk about the strength of the team, I have a great deal of trust over our bowling,” he told a group of journalists during an informal media interaction in Dallas.

“Conditions are in favor of fast bowlers,” he continued. “We will try not to repeat our past mistakes. All the senior players will have to step up and take the responsibility.” He said he was flexible about the batting order after criticism on opener Saim Ayub who could not give his best performance in recent matches. However, he maintained that he trusted every player as a captain, saying that some of them just needed a good innings or a match to get back into the element. Asked about the first match with the USA, Azam said the home conditions were in favor of the opposing side, though he believed in the team’s ability to play good cricket.