The former Indian cricketer says Babar Azam possesses all the qualities to set this World Cup on fire.
LAHORE: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-Sept 23rd, 2023) Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir on Saturday lauded the exceptional batting abilities of Pakistan's captain, expressing the belief that he has the potential to shine in the upcoming World Cup.
In an interview on an Indian tv channel, Gambhir was asked to single out one batsman to watch in the upcoming World Cup. Despite the host presenting prominent Names such as India's Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Australia's David Warner and Steve Smith, New Zealand's Kane Williamson, and England's Joe Root, Gambhir's choice was clear: Babar Azam.
Gambhir commended Babar Azam, stating, "Babar Azam possesses all the qualities to set this World Cup on fire. I have not seen many players who have such impeccable timing. While we certainly have greats like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, David Warner, Kane Williamson, and Joe Root, Babar Azam's caliber is of a different order."
Babar Azam currently holds the top spot in the International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings as the world's leading one-day international (ODI) batsman, boasting a rating of 857. In Test cricket, he holds the fourth position with a rating of 829. Impressively, Azam has maintained his position as the number one ODI batsman for nearly 900 days.
The Pakistan cricket team is set to commence their World Cup campaign on October 6 with a match against the Netherlands in Hyderabad. The most highly anticipated fixture of the tournament will see Pakistan face India on October 14 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, expected to draw a crowd of 132,000 spectators.
Here is the list of Pakistan's squad for the ICC World Cup 2023:
Babar Azam (c)
Abdullah Shafique
Fakhar Zaman
Imam-ul-Haq
Iftikhar Ahmed
Mohammad Rizwan (wk)
Shadab Khan
Mohammad Nawaz
Usama Mir
Haris Rauf
M Wasim Jnr
Hasan Ali
Shaheen Shah Afridi
Saud Shakeel
Salman Ali Agha
Travelling reserves:
Mohammad Haris
Abrar Ahmed
Zaman Khan
Pakistan's warm-up matches schedule:
September 29 — vs New Zealand in Hyderabad
October 3 — vs Australia in Hyderabad
Pakistan's ICC World Cup 2023 schedule:
October 6 — vs Netherlands in Hyderabad
October 10 — vs Sri Lanka in Hyderabad
October 14 — vs India in Ahmedabad
October 20 — vs Australia in Bengaluru
October 23 — vs Afghanistan in Chennai
October 27 — vs South Africa in Chennai
October 31 — vs Bangladesh in Kolkata
November 4 — vs New Zealand Bengaluru (Day match)
November 11 — vs England in Kolkata
Day matches will commence at 10:00 am Pakistan Standard Time (PST), while all other matches will be day-night fixtures starting at 01:30 pm (PST).
