Pakistan Will Leave India With The World Cup Trophy: Iftikhar Ahmed's Bold Claim After PAK's Loss In Both Warm Up Matches

Iftikhar Ahmed is confident Pakistan have got what it takes to win the ICC World Cup 2023. His comments came after his impressive knock against Australia in the warm-up game in Hyderabad on Tuesday (October 3).

After losing the first warm-up game against New Zealand where they failed to defend 345 runs, Pakistan lost against Australia by 14 runs while chasing a big total of 352. Iftikhar Ahmed, captain Babar Azam, and Mohammad Nawaz scored fighting fifties but their efforts were not enough to take Pakistan over the finishing line.

Iftikhar Ahmed walked out to bat at number four after Pakistan were reduced to 47 for 2. He scored 83 runs off 85 balls with the help of 6 fours and 4 sixes before being dismissed by Marnus Labuschagne. Babar, on the other hand, smashed 90 runs off just 59 balls before retiring. Nawaz also played an impressive knock of 50 runs from 42 balls as Pakistan finished on 337.

Iftikhar Ahmed confident of winning the World Cup:

While Pakistan have struggled to win games in recent times, Iftikhar Ahmed is confident that he and his teammates will leave India with the trophy. Speaking after the warm-up game, the middle-order batter expressed his delight over playing a good knock ahead of the main tournament before opening up on his team’s chances in the World Cup.

“It was a good experience. You need to play a good innings for confidence. I am playing in India for the first time, so I had to adjust myself to the conditions,” Iftikhar Ahmed said in a video posted by the PCB.

“Yes we lost two wickets (quickly) but you need to have a positive intent. I was looking to score on bad balls and form a big partnership. You get a lot of time in ODI cricket to set yourself.”

“Playing the World Cup is an honor for a professional cricketer. I am very excited to play in the 50-over World Cup and want to help Pakistan win it. This is my only aim. The boys are confident and we will leave India with the trophy,” he added.

?️ Warming up with a half-century in the #PAKvAUS practice match and playing with positive intent – @IftiMania reviews his performance ?#CWC23 | #WeHaveWeWill pic.twitter.com/NcOYArz57w

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 3, 2023

The World Cup will get underway on Thursday (October 5) with the match between reigning champions England and New Zealand. Pakistan, on the other hand, will open their campaign on October 6 against the Netherlands.