"The World Cup is coming up and my ambition is to perform well so that we can win it" - Babar Azam
Pakistan's all-format captain Babar Azam has asserted that a significant goal of his is to become a part of a World Cup-winning side. The 28-year-old suggested that the individual ICC awards don't carry as much weight as winning the World Cup is the real deal.
The Pakistan skipper swept all the major ICC awards this year, winning the ODI Player of the Year and the Cricketer of the Year awards. The apex body of the sport also named him in the Test Team of the Year and appointed him the skipper of the one-day side following his magnificent performances throughout the year in both formats.
Babar Azam becomes the latest to win the prestigious ICC Award 🏆🇵🇰
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Speaking to ICC Digital, Babar stated that he hopes to succeed Imran Khan as Pakistan's second 50-over World Cup-winning skipper and said:
"The ambition is to be a part of the World Cup team and to win the tournament. The World Cup is coming up and my ambition is to perform well so that we can win it. You see a lot of things individually too but my goal right now is to win the World Cup."
The number one-ranked ODI batter came close to winning the T20 World Cup for Pakistan last year in Australia as they reached the tournament's final. However, Jos Buttler's England proved too good in the decider, winning by five wickets.
"The mindset is to go step by step" - Babar Azam on winning the 2023 World Cup
The classy right-handed batter reflected that plenty of white-ball cricket in 2023 should keep Pakistan in good stead. Babar explained:
"This year we have a lot of white-ball cricket because of the World Cup... you need to take things step by step. You can’t really jump to your goal. You have to achieve it step by step. The mindset is to go step by step, but yeah, you have it in the back of your mind that you need to perform well. But there is hard work and planning behind it."
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Pakistan will next host New Zealand for a five-game ODI series in April. The Men in Green will be hoping to get on a roll ahead of the marquee tournament in India after a poor season.