With the much-anticipated clash between India and Pakistan in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 scheduled to be taking place in Dubai on October 24, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam asserted that he wants to re-establish the team’s “superiority” in T20s by winning the upcoming marquee tournament.
Following the announcement of the schedule on Tuesday, Azam gave a warning to the arch-rivals, India, and other participating teams that Pakistan will be a force to reckon with as for them the upcoming T20 World Cup, which will take place in UAE, is like a home event.
Speaking on the ICC website, Babar Azam said, “For Pakistan, the T20 World Cup is like a home event as the UAE has been our venue for more than a decade. We have not only nurtured our talent and developed our side in the UAE but have also beaten the top sides in these conditions to peak to No. 1 in the ICC T20I team rankings.”
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He further added, “All the players are excited, motivated, and enthusiastic, and view this tournament as an opportunity to showcase our prowess and re-establish our superiority in the shortest format of the game in conditions that suit us best.”
Under the captaincy of Babar Azam, Pakistan will be facing New Zealand and Afghanistan in Group 2 of the Super 12s stage, apart from that, they will also be facing two qualifiers from Round 1. They will play New Zealand at the same venue on October 27 and take on Afghanistan in Dubai on October 29.
Talking about the Pakistan campaign in the T20 World Cup 2021, Babar said: “The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 schedule announcement brings us one step forward in our preparations for this much-awaited global tournament.”
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He further added, “We will utilise the build-up period by playing in home series against New Zealand and England and will not only aim to fine-tune our final outlook but also win as many matches as possible so that we can carry that winning form and momentum to the United Arab Emirates.”
