'Excited to reclaim superiority': Babar Azam claims T20 WC like 'home event' for Pakistan

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam believes his team has a pretty good chance of winning the upcoming T20 World Cup in the UAE, given that the country was their home venue for over a decade. Azam, while speaking to the International Cricket Council (ICC), said UAE feels like home to the Pakistan National Team as they have developed and nurtured the current lot of cricketers in the country. Azam said Pakistan has beaten several top sides in the UAE to rise to the number one position in the ICC T20I rankings. Azam said all players are excited and motivated to perform well in the marquee event and reclaim Pakistan's superiority in the shortest format. 

Babar Azam: For Pakistan, it's like home event

"For Pakistan, the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 is like a home event as the UAE has been our venue for more than a decade. We have not only nurtured our talent and developed our side in the UAE but have also beaten the top sides in these conditions to peak to number-one in the ICC T20I Team Rankings. All the players are excited, motivated, and enthusiastic, and view this tournament as an opportunity to showcase our prowess and re-establish our superiority in the shortest format of the game in conditions that suit us best," Azam was quoted as saying by the ICC. 

Azam also talked about the upcoming World Cup from a personal point of view as this will be the first time he will lead his country in an international competition. Azam said he will look to inspire the team with some personal performances so the side can become the first Pakistani team to win a major ICC event inside Asia. 

2021 T20 World Cup

The tournament will begin with the Round 1 Group B encounter between hosts Oman and Papua New Guinea on October 17, with Scotland and Bangladesh, the other teams in Group B, clashing in the evening match on the same day. The top two teams in each group will proceed to the Super 12 stage of the tournament, beginning on October 23, where they will meet the ICC top-8 ranked sides. The knockout matches of the competition will be played on November 10 and November 11 respectively with the final slated to be held on November 14.

(Image: AP)