Babar says Pakistan ‘in good position’ for World Cup after New Zealand mauling

 

Despite reservations over their inclusion, captain Babar Azam feels Pakistan is well-positioned for the World Cup after their "dominant" one-day series victory against New Zealand.

In the five-match series, the hosts defeated a depleted New Zealand 4-1 and briefly ascended to the top of the one-day rankings.

Babar became the first player to reach 5,000 ODI runs in record time while en route to his 18th century in the format, and Pakistan scored 337 in the second game, their second-highest successful chase in one-day internationals.

In the meantime, Pakistan's opener Fakhar Zaman made history by scoring hundreds in three straight one-day internationals, solidifying his status among the top three batsmen in the country, along with Imamul Haq.

Due to tensions with the host nation, India, Pakistan's participation in the World Cup in October-November is uncertain.

Babar was upbeat despite that and his team's loss in the Sunday championship game.

The captain added, "Winning the series is amazing, and getting to the top spot has put us in a terrific position for the World Cup.

When asked whether the unpredictability worried the Pakistani team, Babar responded, "We can't say anything about that, but wherever we get the chance to play, we will play."

When India said it wouldn't send a team to Pakistan for the Asia Cup in September, one month before the World Cup, the standoff began last year.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has vowed to boycott the World Cup in protest.

But there are indications of a thaw. The last time a senior Pakistani official visited India was last week when Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the foreign minister of Pakistan, went to Goa to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

No easy victory

Babar steadfastly resisted the idea that New Zealand was an easy opponent because they were missing eight of their best players, several of whom were on Indian Premier League duty.

You never go on a foreign squad believing them to be a junior team, he remarked.

"You have to give your all to beat a foreign team, so we played better and had the upper hand."

Before winning the following two games by 26 and 102 runs in Karachi, Pakistan won the first two matches by five and seven wickets each at Rawalpindi.

Also in Karachi, New Zealand won the final game by 47 runs.

Despite the outcomes, interim New Zealand captain Tim Latham believed the series was valuable.

“We wanted to expose players to different roles and I think it was a great opportunity for all of them to experience these conditions,” he said.

New Zealand are sweating on the fitness of regular skipper Kane Williamson, who injured his knee during the IPL and looks likely to miss the World Cup.

New Zealand were runners-up in the last two World Cups, in 2015 and 2019.