Pakistan captain Babar Azam highlighted the uncertainty over the new ball partner for Shaheen Shah Afridi in the upcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.
During the pre-departure press conference, Babar acknowledged the void left by Naseem Shah’s absence and the unique edge that Shaheen and Naseem’s partnership has given to the team.
“Of course we will miss Naseem Shah as Shaheen [Afridi] And Naseem bowling together gave us a distinct edge. Choosing his replacement wasn’t easy, but we all sat together and got input. [chief selector] Inzamam ul Haq. We went with Hasan Ali because he has experience. “He has played the World Cup before,” Babar said.
However, Babar did not reveal who would be handed the responsibility of the new ball, highlighting the team’s decision to keep its strategies unknown at this time.
“I can’t comment on who will bowl the new ball or the old ball, because we can’t reveal our strategies right now. But we haven’t made any concrete plans yet, it will become more clear to us when we get to India. Will visit and assess the conditions,” he further said.
Aiming to deliver their best performance in the mega tournament, Pakistan are set to leave for India tonight, where they will play their first warm-up match against New Zealand on Friday.
