IND vs PAK: Pakistan Under Pressure Ahead Of Super 4 Clash vs India? Babar Azam Responds

Under the leadership of Babar Azam, the Pakistan National Cricket Team hammered the Bangladesh National Cricket Team by 7 wickets to start their Asia Cup 2023 Super 4 campaign on a high at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on Wednesday, September 6.

Losing the toss and bowling first, Pakistan pacers once again shined and dismantled the Bangladesh batting unit. Haris Rauf picked up a 4-wicket haul, Naseem Shah picked up three wickets while Shaheen Afridi, Iftikhar Ahmed, and Faheem Ashraf got one wicket each and the Bangla Tigers were restricted to 193.

Chasing the target, Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam fell early but Imam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Rizwan hit terrific half-centuries to guide their side to a 7-wicket win with 63 balls remaining.

During the post-match presentation ceremony, Babar Azam said that the conditions in Lahore were really hot. He showered rich praise on his pacers for bowling brilliantly. Babar Azam said:

“Too much heat, but full credit to the fast bowlers. First Shaheen and then Haris Rauf. We planned on picking Faheem because we saw the pitches here, there was grass on it and we like that also.” 

We will give our 100% in the next match against India – Pakistan captain Babar Azam

Babar Azam further said that spectators always come in big numbers to support Pakistan in Lahore. He said:

“Always when we play here, the crowd supports us and I hope all of them enjoyed this match.” 

When asked if Pakistan are under any kind of pressure ahead of the high-voltage clash against India, Babar Azam responded that he doesn’t think that is the case.

“[On the team feeling pressure ahead of playing India] Don’t think so. This win will give us confidence, we are always ready for a big match. We will give our 100% in the next match,” Babar Azam said.

The opening batsman Imam-ul-Haq was the chief architect behind Pakistan’s victory against Bangladesh in the batting department. He scored 78 runs off 84 balls, with 5 fours and 4 sixes.

Speaking during the post-match presentation, Imam-ul-Haq said that his innings wasn’t very fluent and went on to praise Pakistan bowlers. Imam-ul-Haq said that he wants the bowlers to carry on this form for the next 2 months as the World Cup is approaching. He elaborated:

“Not the most fluent innings. The ball was seaming around, but I’m happy because I’ve been working on my backfoot game. We discussed about NRR, we thought we could chase within 36 overs and luckily me and Rizwan had a good partnership, and we could close the game like this. (On the pacers) They are remarkable, I want them to bowl another 2 months like this. God bless them!”