After two back-to-back defeats at the hands of India and Zimbabwe, Pakistan were on the verge of an early elimination from the ongoing 20-20 World Cup. However, with sheer dedication, passion and a bit of fate, Pakistan bounced back well and qualified for the finals of the marquee tournament. The Men in Green defeated New Zealand by seven wickets in the semi-finals and will now play against the mighty English team on the night of the finals.
Speaking about their plans against the Jos Buttler-led side, Pakistan captain Babar Azam revealed that they will use their pacers to notch the wickets and put the Three Lions under pressure. Shaheen Shah Afridi, their leader in the pace department is in remarkable form at the moment and clinched 10 wickets so far in the tournament in Australia. He is breathing fire in the tournament along with other bowlers and Babar Azam wants to capitalize on that in the final.
“England is a competitive team, their (10-wicket) win to reach the finals against India was a proof of that. Our strategy is to stick to our plan and use our pace attack as our strength to win the finals. Utilising the powerplay to grab as many wickets will be essential for the match,” said the Pakistan captain on the eve of the final.
It put a massive boost in our confidence: Azam on Ramiz Raza’s visit
Before the all-important final against England, PCB chairman Ramiz Raza paid a visit to the Pakistan team to motivate them for the finale. Raza revealed what the great Imran Khan told them before the 1992 ODI World Championship and Babar Azam in the pre-match press conference revealed how it helped them to boost their confidence before taking on England.
“When the chairman came and shared his experience of the World Cup, it put a massive boost in our confidence. He advised us to stay calm and focus on what goes well,” said the 28-year-old.
