T20 World Cup 2021: Babar Azam confident of win over India, says Pakistan more familiar with UAE conditions

Pakistan
will
take
on
India
at
the
Dubai
International
Cricket
Stadium
on
October
24.
They
head
to
the
fixture
on
the
back
of
an
unbeaten
record
at
the
venue,
having
recorded
six
T20Is
wins
here.

“We’ve
been
playing
cricket
in
UAE
for
the
past
3-4
years
and
we
know
the
conditions
really
well,”
Azam
was
quoted
as
saying
by
the
ICC.

ICC
T20
WC
2021:
India
vs
Pakistan:
Star
Sports
brings
back
iconic
‘Mauka
Mauka’
campaign
with
a
twist

“We
know
how
the
wicket
will
behave
and
the
adjustments
batters
will
have
to
make.
On
the
day
who
plays
the
better
cricket,
wins
the
match.
If
you
ask
me,
we
will
win,”
added
the
star
batsman,
who
is
set
to
play
his
first
T20
World
Cup
and
will
make
his
debut
as
captain.

The
side
made
UAE
its
home
venue
after
international
teams
showed
reluctance
to
tour
Pakistan
citing
security
concerns
after
the
2009
terror
attack
on
the
Sri
Lankan
team.

Pakistan
have
never
won
a
World
Cup
match
across
both
ODIs
and
T20Is
against
India
but
Azam
is
unperturbed,
saying
that
it
is
a
thing
of
the
past.

“We
know
the
pressure
and
the
high
intensity
of
each
game,
especially
the
first
one.
Hopefully,
we
can
win
the
match
and
carry
the
momentum
forward.

“Your
belief
and
confidence
as
a
group
matter
a
lot
before
a
tournament.
As
a
team,
our
confidence
and
morale
are
really
high.
We
are
not
thinking
of
the
past
but
the
future.
We
are
preparing
for
that.

“I
am
fully
confident
that
we
are
well
prepared
and
will
play
good
cricket
on
the
day,”
he
added.

Talking
about
his
side
which
is
a
blend
of
youth
and
experience,
Azam
said
“All
the
players
have
entered
the
side
after
a
good
domestic
performance.”

“We
have
a
lot
to
learn
from
the
senior
players
in
the
side
because
they
have
so
much
experience,
they
have
played
the
World
Cup
and
leagues
before.

“7-8
players
in
our
squad
have
also
played
the
Champions
Trophy
before
which
brings
out
different
confidence.”

ICC
T20
World
Cup
2021
|
BCCI
unveils
cool
new
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of
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India

Pakistan
will
also
have
the
services
of
former
Australian
opener
Matthew
Hayden
and
the
South
Africa
pacer
Vernon
Philander,
who
have
been
appointed
the
side’s
batting
and
bowling
consultants
respectively
for
the
tournament.

“Hayden
and
Philander
bring
a
lot
of
experience.
Our
attempt
will
be
to
learn
from
them
as
much
as
we
can
and
quickly.
The
boys
have
the
ability
to
absorb
quickly
and
mix
with
them.

“You
can
see
Philander
has
already
started
working
hard
with
the
bowlers
and
you
can
see
the
past
record,
bowlers
win
you
the
tournament.
Hasan
Ali
was
our
best
bowler
in
the
Champions
Trophy.
He
will
take
the
bowling
line-up
alongside
him,”
said
Azam.

Pakistan
will
play
their
warm-up
matches
against
West
Indies
on
October
18
and
South
Africa
on
October
20
in
Dubai
and
Abu
Dhabi
respectively.