‘We will give them the respect they deserve without being complacent’: Babar Azam ahead of clash against USA

Babar Azam. (Source -Twitter/X)

Pakistan will take on the United States of America in their first game of the T20 World Cup 2024 at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas on June 6. USA started their campaign with a win against Canada in the tournament opener. Besides this, they entered the marquee event beating Bangladesh comprehensively in the T20I series.

Ahead of the game, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has asserted that the team is not going to take USA lightly. He quashed any signs of complacency within the squad going into the game. As the World Cup is being held in the USA and West Indies, Babar quipped that the conditions will test the best of the teams. He also added that all the 20 teams competing have an edge entering the tournament.

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“It will be a proud moment and a big occasion for the USA when they play a former champion on Thursday. After beating Bangladesh 2-1 and then Canada in the tournament opener, they have demonstrated they deserve to be here, which is excellent news for cricket promotion and development in the region. We will give them the respect they deserve without being complacent,” Babar Azam said in a statement from the Pakistan Cricket Board.

“All 20 teams are here believing they can win the tournament. As such, it is going to be an exciting but extremely challenging and testing tournament, and that’s the beauty of world championships,” he added.

We will follow the horses-for-courses policy in team selections: Babar

Pakistan are one of the few teams who have been grappling with team combinations. The new opening pair of Saim Ayub and Mohammad Rizwan is not reaping rewards. Babar Azam at number three looked out of touch during the England series. Amidst all this, the 30-year-old revealed that the team will opt for changes according to the opposition they will play against.

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“We will follow the horses-for-courses policy in team selections as the conditions in the USA will be new and a couple of opponents we have not played before. In modern-day cricket, the concept and importance of floating players has become more critical than ever before and our players are aware of this as well as their roles and responsibilities,” he concluded.