Babar Azam was eager to remind everyone that Pakistan
was the top-ranked ODI team in the world just days earlier despite their
turbulent Asia Cup campaign, which saw them finish last in the Super Four
stage. Babar was clear that Pakistan’s goal this time was not just making it to
the top four but going beyond, despite the fact that they missed out on a
semi-final berth at the most recent ODI World Cup.
“The top four is a small goal for us,” he
said at a pre-departure press conference. “We want to come out as winners.
We did not have enough time to put together a camp before the World Cup because
we had been playing for too long continuously. Instead, we gave the players a
break so they could come back refreshed and with the hunger to win. You play
well when you have that hunger.
“Before the last two games in the Asia Cup, we
were doing really well with the same team. Although we could not deliver the
way we could, we have learned from our mistakes, as individuals and as a team.
We have discussed all our mistakes as a team with the support staff and put it
behind us. Asia Cup was a different tournament, the World Cup is entirely
different.”
For Pakistan, the tournament’s preparations have been
fraught with on- and off-field setbacks. A team that appeared to be among the
favourites only a few weeks ago has had to play whack-a-mole with problems that
all of a sudden started to pile up. Following a humiliating loss to India at
the Asia Cup, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf both sustained injuries, with the
former being disqualified from the World Cup. Due to Shadab Khan’s decline in
performance, Pakistan decided to keep Usama Mir in place of Faheem Ashraf in
order to strengthen their legspin ranks.
In the background, there have also been issues that
are unrelated to the field of play. Because visas to India were not completed
until Monday, less than 48 hours before the team was scheduled to fly for the
event, Pakistan was forced to cancel a training and bonding camp in Dubai
before the World Cup. Plus, the signing of new core contracts has been in a
standoff between the players and the PCB for nearly three months.
“We try our best to block out the noise and play
with our 100% attention,” Babar said. “I try to make sure that the
noise does not get to the team and I handle all issues I can outside the
dressing room. The visas are now here, so we are good to go. As far as the
contracts are concerned, they are still being negotiated, but we are hopeful we
will get a good outcome as I believe the PCB always has our interests at heart.
“There is no ill will in the dressing room. There
are discussions after every loss but they get twisted into something else
entirely [in the media]. The entire team is like a family and there is love and
respect there.