Pakistan and India will clash in their sold out ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 fixture in Ahmedabad on October 14 and Waqar Younis said the game between the arch rivals will be the “mother of all games.”
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Waqar Younis said the match will be a nerve-wrecking affair for both sides as they would have to be deal with immense pressure created by the crowd.
“It will be the biggest game, mother of all the games,” he said. “So, when you play in Ahmedabad, which has one of the biggest and finest stadiums in the world, you will have to control your nerves and not only Pakistan will be under pressure since it is a weaker team as compared to India but India will be also under pressure because the crowd in the stadium will create pressure on both the teams and that will balance the pressure in the game.”
He said the conditions in India would favour the batters.
“Since the World Cup is in India this time, it is a mega tournament, we all know about the pitch conditions, and therefore I feel the bowler will have a lot of trouble playing on this kind of pitches. If they can take some early wickets in the first 2-4 overs then they can save themselves to some extent otherwise if the batsmen are set then it will be really difficult for them to save runs,” he said.
The “Burewala Express” added that India is the strongest side in the competition, given they have good spinners and backup players.
“If we only talk about ticking the boxes then we will see no other team can match India, even Pakistan or any other team will not match India right now because India also have good spinners, not only the spinners who are playing right now in starting XI such as Kuldeep, Jadeja but also they have a strong bench strength. So, if by any chance, they face any injuries, the players who are sitting at the bench can’t be ignored due to their fantastic current form,” he said.
Speaking about the Pakistan team, he said Babar Azam’s side is a “miss and hit.” He added that Naseem Shah’s absence in the squad will make a difference.
“The absence of Naseem Shah will be a big disadvantage because Naseem and Shaheen used to complement each other with new ball. The new ball is always crucial for us not only for this world cup but also if you can see overall matches, it has been always a very important factor for us over the years and in the past world cups also. When we used to strike and take wickets with the new ball, then we use to get some momentum for staying in a better position in the game. So, the absence of Naseem Shah is a very big loss for Pakistan,” he added.
The former cricketer said Hasan Ali is an experienced campaigner but performing on a global stage after a while will not be easy for him.
Related – Watch: Pakistan Cricket Team arrive in India for World Cup 2023
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