ODI World Cup, Warm-up match: Pakistan, New Zealand hope to get in groove quickly
Though the Pakistan team is touring India after a gap of seven years, they feel home better than New Zealand given the familiar conditions
Hyderabad: With the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup just a week away, both Pakistan and New Zealand want their players to get into the groove as quickly as possible when they take on each other in the first warm-up tie at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Uppal, Hyderabad on Friday.
Both teams arrived in the city on Wednesday night and had short practice sessions at the venue on Thursday morning. Though the Pakistan team is touring India after a gap of seven years, they feel home better than New Zealand given the familiar conditions. However, New Zealand players too have the experience of the conditions owing their involvement in the Indian Premier League.
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Pakistan, though, would be a worried lot after having a dismal outing in their previous tournament – Asia Cup where they crashed out in the Super Fours stage. Pakistan will play two of their World Cup league matches here in Hyderabad and these two warm-up games – against New Zealand and Australia (on October 3) will give them an upper hand in assessing the conditions here.
Naseem Shah has been ruled out of the World Cup with injury while Hasan Ali was named in place of him. The worry for his Babar Azam would be the form of their bowlers who failed to perform to their potential in the Asia Cup.
Meanwhile, all eyes will be on New Zealand captain Kane Williamson who is out of action since March after suffering an ACL tear during the IPL match. He underwent a surgery in April and hasn’t played a game since.
Williamson will be vital for the Kiwis given his batting and captaincy credentials and the management will be eager to see his match fitness.
While the result is immaterial, both teams would be eager to make the best of the warm-up games to assess the team strengths going into the mega event.
Overwhelmed with the love and support: Babar
Babar Azam, the captain of Pakistan team, said he was overwhelmed with the love and support from the Indians when they landed in Hyderabad for the World Cup on Wednesday.
The top-order batter took to his social media account and wrote, “Overwhelmed with the love and support here in Hyderabad.” Earlier, Shaheen Shah Afridi also lauded the Indians for their warm reception for the Pakistani cricketers. The Pakistan cricket team landed in Hyderabad on Wednesday night amid tight security. The team flew into the city via Dubai for the first tour to India in seven years.
After landing at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, the players and support staff boarded the special bus and checked into a star hotel in the city. This is the first time in seven years that the Pakistan cricket team is visiting India. The team last played in India in 2016, in the T20 World Cup.
