Babar Azam says India ‘feels like home’ after Pakistan World Cup visa controversy
Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam acknowledged the generous hospitality his side received in India ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, despite controversy over the players’ visas to enter the host country.
Azam talked about the last few days he and the Pakistan team have spent in India at the Captains’ Day event at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium on Wednesday, on the eve of the 2023 cricket tournament.
He said that after his team landed in Hyderabad city, it did “not feel like we are in India; it was like we are at home”. The Pakistani skipper also said on Instagram that his team was left “overwhelmed with the love and support” they received in the city from the Indian public.
Read more of the captain’s thoughts below:
Babar Azam says ‘India feels like home’ after Pakistan World Cup visa controversy
Pakistan team’s trip to India overshadowed by controversy after they only got visas at the last minute
Netherlands at the Cricket World Cup
Their opposition, meanwhile, make their first appearance in the tournament since 2015. They have appeared in four tournaments (1996, 2003, 2007, 2011) but have never managed to make it past the group stages. A new and exciting squad arrives in India but the associate nation still have plenty on their plate if they are to upset the odds in this round-robin group-stage format.
Pakistan at the Cricket World Cup
Having won the tournament in 1992, Pakistan have since failed to reach the final in the following seven editions. They reached the semi-finals in 2011 and the quarter-finals in 2015 but were knocked out in the group stages in England four years ago.
They are often an unpredictable side – what can they produce this time around?
Pakistan World Cup squad
While we don’t know Pakistan’s starting line-up for this game, we do know their squad for the tournament. The notable absentee is the exciting, fast bowler Naseem Shah who sustained a problematic shoulder injury in the Asia Cup that will see him miss the tournament.
Take a look at their full squad for the tournament:
Pakistan confirm squad for Cricket World Cup
Pakistan have named their final squad for the Cricket World Cup
Pakistan practice ahead of first Cricket World Cup match
Pakistan’s team members attend a training session
Mickey Arthur makes bold statement on Pakistan style for Cricket World Cup
“The players have embraced it. It’s going to take a little bit of time, but I always say there’s always two ways to skin a cat,” Arthur, who was in charge of Pakistan as coach from 2016 to 2019 before returning in April, told reporters.
“Our bowling attack is up there as one of the best and with runs on the board our bowlers can generally defend that. You watch England and Australia playing this brand of cricket. Our guys will follow that.
“There’s no doubt about that. They’re good enough to do that. But we’re playing a brand that we call the Pakistan way. We’re playing a brand that’s very particular to Pakistan and suits our team dynamic. That’s a brand that we’re going to hopefully win the World Cup with.”
Cricket World Cup 2023: Full schedule, fixtures and match dates
The 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup will get underway on 5 October with trophy-holders England taking on New Zealand at the 134,000-capacity stadium in Ahmedabad.
The first match will see a repeat of the thrilling super-over final in 2019 which England won at Lord’s on the final ball. It was a final that few could forget, and it was England who won their first ever 50-over World Cup title.
India are one of the favourites as tournament hosts, despite having not won the trophy for over a decade – in fact they did not make the final in either of the last two tournaments. Their first match will be worth the wait of an extra few days when they take on Australia on 8 October in Chennai.
Cricket World Cup 2023: Full schedule, fixtures and match dates
Every game of the Cricket World Cup after trophy-holders England play last time runners-up New Zealand in Ahmedabad
Pakistan vs Netherlands
Teams will be announced at the toss
Pakistan vs Netherlands
Follow live coverage of Pakistan vs Netherlands from the ODI World Cup today.
The ICC Test Championship sees nine teams compete across a two-year cycle of matches before a two-team final decides the winner. The inaugural competition was won by New Zealand after a thrilling victory over India in June 2021.
The 50-over World Cup is far older and has been competed for since back in 1975. Australia are the record winners having run out victorious on five occasions (1987, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2015). England took the 2019 crown after a dramatic Ben Stokes-inspired super-over win over New Zealand at Lord’s.
The shortest form of the game sees teams compete in Twenty20. The newest format has been an instant global hit with a number of hugely-lucrative competitions massively popular all over the world. Australia are reigning world champions having taken victory in the 2021 tournament.
Follow all the latest live coverage of today’s match in the live blog below:
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