‘Mission World Cup’ Star Cast expert Waqar Younis discussed the enormous scores that are increasingly regular in ODI matches in an exclusive interview with Star Sports. He stated, “I feel that I am extremely happy that I am not playing right now, so I am out of there. On September 29, Pakistan will play New Zealand in their first warm-up match, which is an important milestone in their preparation for the eagerly awaited ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. Both cricket fans and aficionados won’t want to miss a second of the excitement.
These exhibition games serve a dual purpose, giving supporters a tantalizing look at the shape and potential of their favorite clubs and players while also giving the hosts a chance to hone their abilities and gauge their readiness. Players and fans should cherish the moment as cricketing anticipation for the World Cup grows.
Therefore, during my playing career, I never saw totals of 400 runs. Now, this is comparable to a usual score like 350, 375, or 400, and it’s also not as if chasing these huge scores is impossible; rather, big score matches are always regarded as risky. We all know about the pitch conditions because this World Cup is being held in India and is a major event. As a result, I believe the bowler will struggle greatly when playing on these types of fields. It will be extremely tough for them to preserve runs if the batsmen are set, but if they can get some early wickets in the first 2-4 overs, they can save themselves to some extent.
The Indian team, their form, performance, and backup players were also discussed by Waqar Younis.
He said, “If we only talk about ticking the boxes then we will see that no other team can match India, even Pakistan or any other team will not match India right now because India also have good spinners, not only the spinners who are playing right now in starting XI such as Kuldeep, Jadeja but also they have a strong bench strength. Because of their outstanding present form, the players on the bench can’t be ignored if they encounter any injuries.
In addition, he discussed the Pakistani team’s performance and form, emphasizing the significant disadvantage of not having Naseem Shah in their lineup. He stated, “Now, if I talk about Pakistan, they are miss and hit this time. Because Naseem Shah and Shaheen used to compliment each other with fresh balls, his absence will be a major setback.
The new ball has always been a very key aspect for us throughout the years and in previous world cups as well. This is true not only for this world cup but also if you look at overall matches. We used to get some momentum for maintaining a better position in the game when we utilised the new ball to strike and take wickets. Therefore, Naseem Shah’s absence is a huge loss for Pakistan.
Even though Hasan Ali has been named as his substitute, despite his extensive expertise and stellar former performances, I don’t think it will be simple for him to perform on such a large platform so fast. However, it will be the largest game, the mother of all games, as we all know.
The pressure in the game will therefore be balanced when you play in Ahmedabad, which has one of the biggest and best stadiums in the world. Not only will Pakistan be under pressure because it is a weaker team than India, but India will also be under pressure because the crowd in the stadium will put pressure on both teams. India will undoubtedly be a better squad, though, if we only consider the team’s performance.
India
