Pakistan Cricket. (Source -PCB)
Pakistan are scheduled to play two of their Group A games at the Nassau International Cricket Stadium in New York on June 9 and 11. Babar Azam and Co. have reportedly been assigned a new hotel, which is only five minutes away from the newly-built stadium.
Earlier, the International Cricket Council (ICC) had assigned Pakistan a hotel which was 90 minutes away from the venue. However, after Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi lodged a formal complaint regarding the long commute, the organizer decided to change the hotel to make travelling more convenient.
According to The Times of India, Pakistan’s new hotel is just five minutes away from the venue. It is important to note that India’s hotel in New York is 10 minutes away from the aforementioned stadium.
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Pakistan face arch-rivals India on Sunday, June 9, in New York in the stadium that boasts a capacity of approximately 34,000. The Men in Green will play another game at the picturesque venue on June 9, against Canada.
Even the Sri Lankan team expressed their displeasure over the travel time from the hotel to the venue. Reports state that the Lankan Lions had to travel for more than an hour to reach the stadium from their hotel. Currently, the Pakistan contingent is in Dallas, where they are playing against co-hosts USA at the Grand Prairie Stadium on Thursday, June 6.
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Pakistan have not had much success in recent times in T20 cricket. They failed to beat a second-string New Zealand side and levelled a 5-match series 2-2 in April. Pakistan lost the first T20I against Ireland last month before winning the remaining two games and taking the series 2-1. In their most recent series against defending champions England, Babar’s men failed to win a single game and ended with a 0-2 defeat.
Pakistan would know that a win against India will give them the confidence that could propel them to a record-equalling second T20 World Cup win.