The Pakistan cricket team is preparing for the Cricket World Cup 2023 in India. The tournament will begin on October 5, with the final match scheduled for November 19. Pakistan, led by Babar Azam, will start its campaign against the Netherlands on October 6. The highly anticipated match against arch-rivals India will take place on October 14. Ahead of this crucial game, former Pakistan player Moin Khan has confessed that the players get scared when playing against India.
Moin witnessed the fear among the players while analyzing Babar and the team’s performance at the Asia Cup 2023. He noticed that the players were hesitant to make suggestions to Babar and lacked unity. The team seemed to lack discussions and even when suggestions were made, they were not followed or implemented effectively. Moin believes that players are fearful of their suggestions not working against India, which affects their performance on the field. He emphasizes the importance of playing to one’s potential and giving 100% effort, even if suggestions go wrong. Moin suggests that the players’ body language did not indicate a strong desire to win, and he suspects issues within the dressing room. He believes that these differences need to be addressed and resolved in order for the team to perform better.
In a World Cup warm-up match against New Zealand, Pakistan faced a defeat as Kane Williamson displayed his skills after a six-month break and Rachin Ravindra excelled at the top of the order. Despite good performances from Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, and Saud Shaukeel in the middle order, Pakistan’s target of 346 runs proved challenging for them.
Pakistan will play their second and final warm-up game against Australia on October 3.