England vs Pakistan: We are more excited than nervous, says Pak captain Babar ahead of final

Add as a preferred source on Google

Melbourne, November 12: Pakistan captain Babar Azam has this wonderful opportunity to lead his side to a World Cup title when they face England in the final of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground here on Sunday (November 13).

Babar said him and the team is more excited than nervous ahead of the big match. Excerpts:

Question: It’s been three days now that Pakistan has played their semi-final against New Zealand. How much excited and nervous is Pakistan camp after three days?

Babar: I'm more excited than nervous since we've performed well in our last three matches. It is no doubt that pressure exists but it can only be suppressed with confidence and belief in ourselves. And for good results it is impertinent that one must do so.

Question: How challenging it would be for England to face Pakistan’s pace attack?

Babar Azam: England is a competitive team, their win to reach the finals against India was a proof of that. Our strategy is to stick to our plan and using our pace attack as our strength to win the finals.

Question: How confident are you to repeat the history which was made against England in WC 92, as you are just a match away to become Fatah e Azam (World Champion) from Babar Azam?

Babar Azam: Yes. I believe we couldn't start off well but we came back with great momentum. In the previous 3-4 matches, Pakistani team has played very well on both individual and team level. We've been working really hard for this. It feels like a dream come true to reach the final.

Question: How important is the power play? What would be your strategy to deal with it?

Babar Azam: Utilizing power play to grab as many wickets will be essential for the match. Even when you bat, you want to set a great pace for the upcoming batsmen. We will try to maintain and continuously build our momentum hence ensuring better performance.

Question: How relax did you feel after your performance in the semi-final? Can you comment on (Mohammad) Haris’s impact in the team?

Babar Azam: Of course great pressure is build upon you when you are under a spell of not scoring well. But here I'd like to commend the middle order, they stepped up and took the responsibility to achieve what me and Rizwan couldn't. Iftikhar, Shadab and Haris played extremely well. Although a youngster, but Haris proved himself to be an asset in this event. Although I couldn't perform well but the rest of the team performance kept me motivated.

Q. At one stage during the Super 12s it looked almost impossible for you to qualify. Did that free you up as a team and as a captain, or did you have a conversation, and had you almost given up hope at that stage?

Babar Azam: Of course we have our first two matches lost, and that cost us. But the way our team come back last four matches and they perform very well, and we are playing good cricket in the last four matches. Yes, we will try to continue that momentum in the final.

Q. You've played England a lot recently. What impact do you think that series win they had in Pakistan will have on this game and what areas do you think that you might have an advantage, having seen so much of them.

Babar: England is a good team, they have a good bunch of players and they have quality fast bowlers and batsmen, so we will try our best to execute our plans and looking forward to the match.