"Both bowling and batting are our strengths" - Babar Azam

Pakistan captain Babar Azam was happy with how Pakistan players are performing in recent times. Meanwhile, they have done well in the World Cup 2023 warm-up games, although they failed to win a single match against Tom Latham’s New Zealand and Pat Cummins’ Australia as well.

Meanwhile, Babar Azam, himself, was in sublime form after he managed to score 80 and 90 against New Zealand and Australia respectively. He also said that fast bowlers have always been important for Pakistan, but he was also happy with his team’s spinners getting into the rhythm as well.

“Both bowling and batting are our strengths. Our batters have been performing from the top-order down to the lower-order. Every player is stepping up and taking responsibility. In bowling, our fast bowling has always been our strength, but even our spinners are showing promise. Since we have come to India, we have seen our spinners take wickets in the middle overs, which is a good sign. We will try and keep this momentum going,” Babar Azam told PCB Digital.

Babar Azam also opened up on his journey of playing for Pakistan over the last eight years and how he has tackled the challenges while trying to live up to the expectations of the fans as well.

“My journey has been really good” – Babar Azam

“My journey has been really good. There have been ups and downs, which is natural. There have been challenges at times, but I have tried to live up to the expectations of the fans. I have met a lot of good people in the process,” he again stated.

“I met some very good teammates and was able to forge a bond with them. It has been three years since I have been playing with these boys so we have bonded well in this time. At the end of the day, we spend more time with each other than we get to spend with our families. We try to be happy with each other’s performance and try to give our best for Pakistan,” Babar Azam concluded.

Pakistan’s first match in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 is against the Scott Edwards-led Netherlands on Friday, October 6 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad as well.