Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Afridi OVERWHELMED after receiving grand welcome in India for World Cup

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam, wicket-taker Mohammad Rizwan, and pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi took to their respective social media handles to praise the reception in Hyderabad.


Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Afridi OVERWHELMED after receiving grand welcome in India for World Cup

Pakistan team (Image via X)

Pakistani team arrived in India on the evening of Wednesday (September 27). At the airport in Hyderabad, the players were swarmed with fans wanting to take a glimpse of the team.

The players received a grand welcome from India which they acknowledged through their social media stories. Pakistan skipper Babar Azam, wicket-taker Mohammad Rizwan, and pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi took to their respective social media handles to praise the reception in Hyderabad.

YouTube video

Before the World Cup, the two boards were involved in arguments because of the political tension between the two countries. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) did not send their players to Pakistan for the Asia Cup, so the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) threatened to boycott the World Cup. Also, nearly 48 hours before departing for India, the players and staff members received their visas. Now all the problems have been resolved it seems.

Babar Azam and company will start their ODI World Cup campaign on October 6 against the Netherlands at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. They will face hosts India on October 14 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The tournament will kick start on October 5 between England and New Zealand.

Related: WATCH: Jasprit Bumrah nails the perfect yorker to bamboozle Glenn Maxwell

Pakistan’s previous ODI World Cup campaigns

In 1992, under the captaincy of Imran Khan, Pakistan lifted their first ODI World Cup. Then in 1999, they reached the finals but were defeated by Australia.

Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Afridi OVERWHELMED after receiving grand welcome in India for World Cup
Pakistan team (Image via Arab News)

The Men in Green reached the quarter-finals twice (1996, 2015) and, the semi-final four times (1979, 1983, 1987, and 2011). In the previous edition of the World Cup in 2019, Pakistan finished fifth on the points table with five wins and three defeats from nine matches. Pakistan’s win-loss record is 45-32 in the fifty-over World Cup.

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