In the opening match of the ICC T20 World Cup, Pakistan finally broke the curse by defeating India by a smashing aggregate of 10 wickets. Shaheen Shah Afridi, who took 3 wickets and put India on the back foot, was important in the victory. Following in the hunt, Pakistan captain Babar Azam and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan were able to attack down the mark without breaking a sweat, allowing the side to win by 10-wickets.
Unsurprisingly, Captain Azam was pleased with the success, but he also cautioned his colleagues not to become comfortable and to maintain the same level of energy for the remaining games. Due to their inconsistency, Pakistan is seen as a difficult team. This was something Azam was very well familiar with, and he encouraged his players to maintain consistency throughout the campaign.
Inconsistency has been an issue with our team in the past: Azam
The Pakistani captain also cautioned his players not to become overly excited by their success, urging them to keep the momentum going. “I request you all not to get over-excited as it might lead to our downfall in the next game. Because inconsistency has been an issue with our team in the past, we have to change that. I am hopeful that it will change soon and not be the case this time around. We can do that. Very well done today, boys,” said Azam to his teammates.
The captain and head coach address the players after Pakistan’s historic win over India. #WeHaveWeWill pic.twitter.com/Laww5iTMzX
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 24, 2021
Pakistan Cricket also posted a video on their official Twitter account, in which Babar Azam is seen urging the players that their major objective should be on winning the title. He also stated that we will come together to cherish today’s success and continue to play well as a team in future games.
Throughout his two-minute-and-47-second address, the Pakistani captain Babar Azam identified the importance of not being delighted with a single victory.
“The win today cannot be attributed to any one individual performance. We won as a team today. We should not deviate from this at all, even in future games. It is just a start now. Do enjoy the win, but don’t get over-excited. We have matches ahead, so we need to be prepared and focused. Today’s victory is in the past now, it was great, and we will all enjoy it together, but our main focus should be winning the World Cup. We will not relax till then, and we have to give our 100%.”
