NEW DELHI: Pakistani fast bowler
Shaheen Shah Afridi
stressed the significance of their upcoming series against England before the
T20 World Cup
in the USA and the West Indies.
Pakistan's recent 2-1 T20I series victory over Ireland has boosted their confidence as they continue to prepare and determine the optimal team composition.
Afridi acknowledged the importance of these pre-World Cup matches for Pakistan to fine-tune their performance and address areas that need improvement.
He praised the partnership between
Babar Azam
and
Mohammad Rizwan
in the third T20I, describing them as "world-class players" who understand their roles and excel on the pitch.
"For us, before the World Cup, it's important to have these games to ready ourselves and there are a few areas to improve," Afridi said.
"They're both world-class players (Babar and Rizwan); they know how to play their role and they have done really well on this pitch," Shaheen added.
Babar's outstanding performance, which included four sixes and six fours in his 75 off 42 deliveries, along with his partnership with Rizwan, alleviated pressure on Pakistan during their chase of 179.
Babar mentioned the strong communication between him and Rizwan, attributing it to their extensive experience playing together and their focus on leveraging their strengths while keeping pace with the required run rate.
"Lots of positives for us to take and we were able to execute our plans. We have a big tournament coming up and this is good practice; we are now looking forward to the England series," Babar added.
Following the conclusion of the Ireland series, Pakistan will head to England for a four-match T20I series, which will serve as their final opportunity to determine their desired team composition before the World Cup. The series will commence on May 22 at Headingley Carnegie and conclude on May 30 at The Oval in London.
(Inputs from ANI)
English (US) ·