Pakistan captain Babar Azam believes the recent thumping 3-0 ODI series win over Afghanistan will “inspire” his side and provide much-needed momentum heading into the Asia Cup, starting Wednesday. Babar also believes that his team’s ascension to the Number 1 spot in the ICC Men’s ODI Team Rankings was a result of their hard work and discipline.
A 3-0 series sweep over Afghanistan helped Pakistan to the pole position in Men’s ODI Team Rankings. They are now marginally ahead of Australia, with 2725 points and 118 rating points. They had won the first ODI by 142 runs at the back of a brilliant bowling display. The second game was a nail-biting thriller, with the Men in Green eking out a one-wicket win in the last over of the game. In the third game, they batted well on a tough wicket to set a commanding total, before regular strikes from their bowlers ensured a 59-run win. The Asia Cup is set to be hosted in a hybrid model by Pakistan and Sri Lanka from August 30 till September 17. Pakistan came up with a terrific performance against Afghanistan, clean sweeping the latter 3-0 in the just-concluded ODI series just before the continental showpiece.
On Saturday, Pakistan triumphed over Afghanistan by 59 runs in the third and final ODI at the R Premadasa Stadium. “We are thrilled heading into the Asia Cup. How we have won the (ODI) series against Afghanistan will be an inspiration for us in the tournament,” Azam was quoted as saying by PCB. “It was never easy against Afghanistan as most people would have thought. Everyone knows how terrific they are on spin-friendly conditions. “The momentum from this series will give us confidence during the Asia Cup.
We hope to produce good cricket for our fans,” he added. The series sweep has allowed Pakistan to leapfrog Australia and reach the summit of the ICC ODI team rankings. Azam credited the achievement to team effort. “When you attain the No. 1 spot, you get a lot of satisfaction. It is all due to the efforts of the entire squad along with the support staff,” he said. “We had been at the top of the ODI rankings earlier. But, we came back down to No. 2 after losing a fixture,” he signed off.
