Pakistan’s Babar Azam plays a shot during the tri-series ODI cricket match between Pakistan and South Africa, in Karachi, Pakistan, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (AP Photo)
Pakistan star cricketer Babar Azam has said that despite the Pakistan cricket team’s troubles in the past, there is “not pressure of anything” on the team ahead of the first big-ticket event at home in three decades. Pakistan last hosted an ICC event in 1996 when they joined hands with India and Sri Lanka to host the Cricket World Cup. Since then, the terror attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team has made tours by cricketing nations to Pakistan scarce.
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The hosts are under pressure because they were eliminated in the group stage in the last two ICC tournaments. What made matters worse was that at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 — where arch-rivals India won the title — Pakistan endured a humbling defeat to the USA.
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But Babar insists that there is no pressure on the team about past failures.
“There is no pressure of anything. What has happened in the past is beyond us. We have discussed mistakes we have made and we have worked on them,” Babar was quoted as saying by the ICC website. “When you have responsibility as a senior player in any team and the team relies on you and has belief in you, then I take it in a positive way.”
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Babar also said that the team will draw comfort from being the hosts.
“When you play at home you get that edge as you know the conditions,” he said. “You have a knowledge of how the pitch will behave, both in the first and second (innings), but still you have to play good cricket because all other teams are among the best. It means a lot to be hosting the competition.”
