Asia Cup 2023: Pakistan should have hosted the entire tournament, says skipper Babar Azam

On the eve of the opening game of the 2023 Asia Cup, Pakistan captain Babar Azam wished the entire tournament had taken place in his home country.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had been awarded the hosting rights for the 2023 edition of the tournament, marking the first time a major event involving multiple nations has taken place in the country since the 2008 edition of the same event.

However, due to the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) reluctance to send the Indian team to Pakistan due to political tensions between the two nations, several matches — including all of India’s fixtures as well as the final — had to be moved to Sri Lanka, although the PCB has retained the hosting rights for the same.

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Speaking ahead of the opening match of the tournament against Nepal in Multan, Pakistan skipper Babar wished the entire tournament had been hosted on Pakistani soil instead of two nations — a first in the tournament’s history.

“If you ask me, it would have been good if the whole tournament would have been held in Pakistan, but unfortunately, nothing can be done about it,” Babar told reporters on Tuesday.

.@babarazam258 on Pakistan earning the top spot in the ODI rankings

Full press conference ➡️ https://t.co/V3oeqje8G0#AsiaCup2023 pic.twitter.com/5iX4CahlSh

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) August 29, 2023

Pakistan start their campaign on Wednesday against Nepal in Multan and then fly to Sri Lanka the very next day for the big-ticket clash against India at Pallekele on 2 September. Within 24 hours, they are back in Lahore for their Super Four game on 6 September and then again fly back to Sri Lanka the next day for the next game on 9 September.

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“As professionals, we are ready for any schedule that is given to us. There would be travelling as well as back-to-back games and we are ready for that,” said Babar.

“Our coaches and support staff have chalked out plans about how much we would utilise each player and also we have booked our flights in such a manner, that our travelling schedule gives enough time to rest,” the skipper said.

While he didn’t want to divulge his strategy about the India game, he expects that his team would put up the best show possible.

“We want to continue with this momentum. Pakistan’s match against India will be a high-intensity game and we want to play our best cricket on the given day,” he added.

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The skipper, rated as one of the premier batters in contemporary cricket, is happy that Pakistan team is currently ranked No 1 in ODIs and also a lot of their players are in top 10.

“I needed to take the team to a different level and change mindset. Now, we have at least 3-4 players in top-10 and when you set a standard, there will be expectations and you have to fulfil those expectations. Performances should be such that the team wins,” he added.

With inputs from PTI