Pakistan’s captain, Babar Azam, expressed confidence in his team’s advantage over India in their upcoming Asia Cup Super Four clash, highlighting their strong bowling lineup capable of securing victories in matches and tournaments.
The arch-rivals are set to face each other again in Colombo after their group match was washed out due to rain, causing disruptions in the 50-over tournament, which serves as a precursor to the ODI World Cup in India. An India-Pakistan encounter remains one of cricket’s most highly anticipated matches, given that political tensions restrict their head-to-head matches to multi-nation tournaments.
Pakistan has won their opening Super Four match, and another victory would significantly improve their chances of reaching the final on September 17. However, the persistent rain in Colombo is expected to pose a challenge once again, with a reserve day in place for the match.
Babar Azam pointed out that Pakistan’s consistent cricket presence in Sri Lanka, including Test series, the Lanka Premier League, Afghanistan series, and the Asia Cup, gives them an edge. Pakistan’s pace trio of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf has been exceptional, claiming a total of 23 wickets. Shaheen, in particular, made an impact with his left-arm pace, picking up crucial wickets against India in the group match.
Azam expressed his confidence in their bowling lineup’s ability to secure titles, emphasizing the significance of fast bowlers in winning tournaments. India’s opener, Shubman Gill, acknowledged that the infrequent encounters with Pakistan’s formidable bowling attack make it challenging to gauge their opposition. Gill also mentioned that the team has been preparing to face left-arm specialists like Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Despite a challenging start, India managed to post a competitive total of 266 in their previous encounter with Pakistan, and Gill highlighted the importance of a strong opening partnership to dominate from the beginning. He also drew confidence from their previous match’s fightback, where they recovered from a precarious 66-4 situation.
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