Former all-rounder Azhar Mahmood has said that India will have the upper hand over Pakistan in the T20 World Cup match. But, he also admitted that Pakistan can beat India if they perform to their best. However, India will face Pakistan in their first match of the 2021 T20 World Cup on October 24 in Dubai. Notably, Pakistan is yet to beat India in a World Cup game, be it the 20-over or 50-over format.
In an interaction on Cricket Pakistan, Mahmood opened up on the team’s chances against India in the much-awaited T20 World Cup clash. On the other hand, apart from India and Pakistan, New Zealand and Afghanistan are also placed in the same group for the T20 World Cup. Two more teams will soon join them following the conclusion of Round 1.
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“We lost the league match to India in the Champions Trophy (2017) but came back to beat them in the final. Then, in the 2019 World Cup, we lost. Our record against India in the World Cup has not been great. But this match (2021 T20 World Cup) will be tough because our boys play very well in the T20 format. But the way India have been performing and the kind of team they have, they will definitely have an edge. Having said that, if our boys click on the day, I am sure we can definitely beat them,” Azar Mahmood explained.
Meanwhile, recently Misbah-ul-Haq and Waqar Younis quit their respective posts as head coach and bowling coach as well. While reacting to the same, Mahmood said that the timing of the exits was not right as the mega event is just a few days away. Meanwhile, Pakistan have named Saqlain Mushtaq and Abdul Razzaq as their interim coaches for the New Zealand series, which is slated to begin on September 17.
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“The players’ performances can be affected, whether it will be in a positive or negative way I cannot say. I don’t know on what forced the decision but the timing is definitely not right. They (Misbah and Waqar) have worked with this team for the last two years and they were building towards this World Cup. And now, they are not there, so obviously the timing is awry. I don’t know what’s going on inside,” Azar Mahmood concluded.
