Pakistan star batter Babar Azam has issued a bold statement ahead of the much-awaited ICC Champions Trophy 2025, set to commence tomorrow.
The right-handed batter played a crucial role in Pakistan’s historic 2017 Champions Trophy triumph, scoring a brisk 46 from 52 balls in the final against India, which helped his team secure a resounding 180 victory.
Babar, while in an exclusive chat with the International Cricket Council (ICC), emphasized that while the team has undergone changes since their 2017 triumph, their belief and confidence remained unchanged.
“A lot has changed since the Champions Trophy was held in 2017. We have new players coming, we only have three or four players who were part of that winning team. But the belief, confidence and execution is the same,” said Babar.
Refusing to dwell on the past, the batting maestro expressed his desire to make more memories in front of the adoring Pakistani public in the coming weeks.
“I am very excited. We are going to have an ICC tournament in Pakistan after a very long time. As a player, I am very excited; all the fans are excited, said the top-order batter.
He also reflected on the 2017 Champions Trophy final and his most memorable memories of the all-important encounter.
“My primary memories of the 2017 final are Fakhar Zaman’s innings (of 114), the spell of Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali’s spell, and the winning moment,” he said.
The 30-year-old also acknowledged the added responsibility as a senior player in the team and reiterated his commitment to performing for the team.
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“When you have responsibility as a senior player in any team and the team relies on you and has belief in you, then I take it in a positive way.”
“I try to give my best in every match. I try to perform so that Pakistan win and I enjoy my cricket,” he added.
While addressing Pakistan’s recent performances in the ICC events, including the T20 World Cup 2024, he stated that there is no pressure and that the team had learned from past mistakes.
“There is no pressure of anything. What has happened in the past is beyond us. We have discussed mistakes we have made and we have worked on them. So we will try not to do what we have done in the past,” Babar said.
He further highlighted the advantage of playing at home, emphasizing the familiarity with the conditions.
“When you play at home, you get that edge as you know the conditions; you know how the pitch will behave, both in the first and second (innings), but still, you have to play good cricket because all other teams are among the best,” said Babar.
Furthermore, Babar Azam expressed his excitement about hosting the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan, a global cricketing event after many years.
“It means a lot to be hosting the competition. The hospitality here in Pakistan is great, and people love cricket here.”
“Cricket puts everyone in one place. It unites everyone and the whole of Pakistan is busy praying that Pakistan wins. Everyone is united in that,” concluded Babar.
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