CWC 2023: Babar Azam hopes win against Bangladesh will raise Pakistan's confidence for upcoming games
Oct 31, 2023
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], October 31 : After Pakistan registered a 7-wicket victory against Bangladesh, captain Babar Azam lavished praise on his team's outstanding performance in all three departments and said that his side will hope to carry the confidence into the next two games.
Pakistan defeated Bangladesh in Kolkata to register their third win in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023. With this brilliant victory, Pakistan broke their four-match losing streak in the ongoing tournament and moved to 5th in the points table with 6 points. Meanwhile, the ODI World Cup semifinal dream remained unfulfilled for Bangladesh.
"Credit to the boys, the way they played in all three departments. This win hopefully gives confidence in the coming matches. Shaheen started well with the ball. After 15-20 overs, they built a partnership. But our main bowlers struck. The main thing was our bowlers hit good lengths and took wickets," Babar Azam said during a post-match presentation.
Babar lavished praise on Fakhar Zaman and stated that if the opener bats for 20 to 30 overs, the game would be different. Fakhar made a strong comeback in the 2023 Cricket World Cup, scoring 81 against Bangladesh. This achievement was especially notable given his past troubles with form, which resulted in his expulsion from the team.
"We know how well Fakhar plays when he's going. Good to see him do it. We are trying to win our remaining matches and see where we stand," Babar said.
Babar thanked the Indian fans for their support of him and Pakistan during the match. Former player Ramiz Raja reminded the Pakistan skipper of the support his team received at Eden Gardens, for which he expressed gratitude.
"I want to thank the fans for supporting me and Pakistan throughout the World Cup," he said.
Talking about the match, openers Zaman and Shafique scored 81 and 68 respectively while Mohammad Rizwan slammed an unbeaten 26, guiding their team to a 7-wicket triumph. For Bangladesh, Mehidy Hasan Miraz bagged a three-wicket haul.
Earlier, Pakistan pacers Mohammad Wasim Jr, Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf with sensational spells wreaked havoc on Bangladesh batters to restrict the Bangla Tigers to a low total of 204. Wasim Jr and Shaheen Afridi were the chief destructive duo as they bagged three-wicket hauls respectively while pacer Haris Rauf came together to help the Men in Green bowl Bangladesh out for a low total.
Pakistan will next face New Zealand on Saturday at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
