T20 World Cup 2021: Whoever Comes We Are Ready For That As Our Confidence Is High – Mohammad Hafeez

Veteran all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez has said that team Pakistan are full of confidence, and they are ready to play against any team in the semi-finals of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021.

Pakistan National Cricket Team have performed exceptionally in the ongoing World Cup, they started the journey by defeating India for the first time in World Cups and then went on to defeat New Zealand, Afghanistan and Namibia, now they will lock horns with Scotland in the last game and are expected to finish the group stage with 5 wins from 5 games. Also, The 2009 champions are most likely to play the semi-final against Aaron Finch-led Australia.

Talking about the semi-finals opponent, 41-year-old Mohammad Hafeez said:

“To be honest, when it comes to a cricket match we don’t think about who we want to play,” 

“Whoever comes we are ready for that as our confidence is high, we are shaping up well and we are performing well.

“But first we have a game against Scotland so we need to take them on with the same intensity and confidence. The goal is to win the Cup for the nation and we are close to that.”

So far, Pakistan have been undefeated against Scotland, and they have won all three T20Is against them.

Whole Team And The Management Have Done Well In This Tournament – Mohammad Hafeez

New Zealand were all set to play a limited-overs series with Babar Azam-led side in Pakistan, however, the Blackcaps abandoned the tour due to security concerns. Also, England were set to tour Pakistan, but the tour was called off, citing players’ mental and physical health problems.

Talking about the poor lead-up to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, Mohammad Hafeez stated:

“We played only one match out of five in the West Indies due to the weather,”

“Then New Zealand and England abandoned their tours so we were short on that front but the whole team and the management have done well in this tournament.”

Mohammad Hafeez said that defeating India in the tournament opener by 10 wickets filled them with much-needed confidence. He also said that he has been part of several India-Pakistan World Cup games in which they faced a defeat, and he felt great to be a part of the winning team finally. He asserted:

“In any tournament when you win the first match, it gives you confidence so when we beat India it lifted our confidence hugely.

“I have been part of many World Cup matches against India and after all those defeats we had to bear the consequences but we always used to have strong comebacks.

“This time we won and it was great to be part of that team which beat India.”

When asked about his retirement, Mohammad Hafeez said that he hadn’t made a decision on this matter and will decide once the tournament ends. He stated:

“I am focusing on this World Cup so after this tournament, I will decide what to do,” 

“I am a very emotional sort of player and playing for Pakistan is a great pride for me.”

Also Read: NZ vs AFG Head to Head Records, New Zealand’s Head to Head Record Against Afghanistan – ICC T20 World Cup 2021 Match 40