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Babar Azam confident of Pakistan’s prospects in World Cup 2023

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  • Babar’s remarks comes amid doubts over Pakistan’s particpation in World Cup.
  • “We can’t say anything about that, but wherever we get a chance to play, we will play,” he says.
  • Pakistan beat a depleted New Zealand 4-1 in the five-match series.

KARACHI: Skipper Babar Azam assured the cricket fans that the “dominant” one-day series win over New Zealand has set Pakistan up nicely for the World Cup.

Babar’s remarks comes amid doubts over Pakistan’s participation in the World Cup in October-November because of tensions with hosts India.

Despite the looming uncertainty and defeat in the final match on Sunday, Babar was in buoyant mood.

A day earlier, Pakistan beat a depleted New Zealand 4-1 in the five-match series and on their way briefly reached the top of the one-day rankings for the first time.

Pakistan scored 337 in the second match — their second-highest successful chase in one-day internationals — and Babar became the fastest player to 5,000 ODI runs en route to his 18th century in the format.

Opener Fakhar Zaman meanwhile achieved the distinction of hitting hundreds in three successive ODIs, firmly establishing his place in Pakistan’s top three, which also includes opener Imam-ul-Haq.

“Winning the series is great and so is achieving number one ranking that has set us in a good position for the World Cup,” said the skipper.

Asked if the uncertainty over participation was worrying for the Pakistan team, Babar said: “We can’t say anything about that, but wherever we get a chance to play, we will play.”

The stand-off started last year when India announced it would not send a team to Pakistan for the Asia Cup in September, a month before the World Cup.

In response, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has threatened to pull out of the World Cup.

There are signs of a thaw, however. Last week Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari visited India to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Goa — the first visit by a senior Pakistani official in years.

No easy win

Babar refused to accept that in missing eight of their top players — mostly due to Indian Premier League duty — New Zealand were easy to beat.

“You don’t play an international team thinking that they are a junior team,” said Babar.

“You have to give 100% to win against an international team, so we played better and dominated.”

Pakistan won the first two matches by five and seven wickets in Rawalpindi before clinching the next two by 26 and 102 runs in Karachi.

New Zealand took the final game by 47 runs, also in Karachi.

Stand-in New Zealand skipper Tom Latham said the series was useful despite the results.

“We wanted to expose players to different roles and I think it was a great opportunity for all of them to experience these conditions,” he said.

New Zealand are sweating on the fitness of regular skipper Kane Williamson, who injured his knee during the IPL and looks likely to miss the World Cup.

New Zealand were runners-up in the last two World Cups, in 2015 and 2019.

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The team’s failure to capitalize against India is acknowledged by Mohammad Rizwan.

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After losing to India in Sunday’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 match, Pakistan captain Muhammad Rizwan acknowledged that his team did not take advantage of winning the toss.

According to Rizwan, India’s bowlers controlled the middle overs, limiting Pakistan to 240 runs after they had set a goal of 280.

“When Saud Shakeel and I were batting, our plan was to take the game deep, but our shot selection was poor, which cost us wickets at crucial moments,” Rizwan said. He admitted that India’s bowling attack limited Pakistan’s ability to reach a competitive score.

Rizwan also praised the efforts of India’s hitters, especially Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli, who stole the match from Pakistan with their outstanding batting. Rizwan said, “In ODI cricket, you have to perform in all three aspects,” highlighting his team’s general inability to win the match.

The skipper of Pakistan also emphasized the necessity to strengthen their fielding by highlighting persistent errors. “We have been consistently making the same errors, particularly when fielding. Going forward, we must work on these,” he continued.

Indian captain Rohit Sharma, meanwhile, commended his team’s teamwork in the victory and gave bowlers Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, and Ravindra Jadeja credit for holding Pakistan to a low score.

“Our bowlers performed admirably in keeping Pakistan’s score down. Things were difficult because of Saud Shakeel and Rizwan’s alliance, but we followed our plan,” Sharma stated.

“Virat batted brilliantly today, but none of us in the dressing room are surprised by his performance,” Sharma said in reference to Virat Kohli’s game-winning innings.

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Shaheen Shah Afridi acknowledges difficulties during the death overs.

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Following Pakistan’s triumph over South Africa in the tri-nation series, Shaheen Shah Afridi acknowledged the issue of death bowling.

In response to the injury concern, the left-arm pacer stated, “My finger is fine; I underwent an X-ray.” Some swelling persists, but I anticipate improvement shortly. These matches are essential for preparation for the Champions Trophy 2025.

Commenting on his interaction with a South African batsman, Shaheen stated, “For the first time, he remained silent.” I was the one instigating him to lose his wicket.

Prioritizing collective effort over personal achievements, Shaheen stated, “This is not about Babar or Shaheen—it is about Pakistan.” “The presence of negativity will hinder progress in any context.”

During Wednesday’s match, tensions escalated when Shaheen Shah Afridi confronted Matthew Breetzke, necessitating intervention from the on-field umpire and other players to separate them.

During a crucial tri-series encounter at Karachi’s National Stadium, South African batsman Matthew Breetzke and Pakistani pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi engaged in a contentious confrontation. Matthew Breetzke and Shaheen Shah Afridi were engaged in a confrontational exchange in a video that gained widespread attention on social media.

Matthew Breetzke, who scored a century in the previous match against New Zealand in Lahore, edged a delivery to the onside in the 28th over of the innings. Shaheen Afridi appeared displeased when the 26-year-old nearly collided with the left-arm fast bowler while dashing between the wickets to converse with Breetzke.

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The Champions Trophy and Tri-Nation series traffic strategy for Karachi has been released.

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While alternate routes and designated parking spots have been set up to ensure seamless traffic flow, the traffic police say Sir Shah Suleman Road would remain open for regular traffic on match days.

Travellers from Karsaz can park their cars beneath the flyover at the China Ground and National Coaching Centre.

Parking for those travelling from Millennium will also be available at China Ground and the National Coaching Centre.

The same parking lots are open to New Town visitors.

To prevent any disruption, Karachi Police have stressed that cars should only be parked in approved spots. For a hassle-free commute on match days, commuters are encouraged to plan their routes appropriately and heed traffic police instructions.

Traffic Diversions: To alleviate congestion on match days, heavy traffic will be rerouted from Sohrab Goth to Nipa and Liaquatabad No. 10 to Hassan Square. There will also be a rerouting of heavy vehicles from People’s Chowrangi via University Road.

Heavy Traffic Restricted Roads: The following roads will not be open to heavy traffic:

Millennium to New Town Stadium Signal to Hassan Square Karsaz to Stadium

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