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What's the news?
Sarfaraz Ahmed believes that every game in the World Cup will be very important, with the Pakistan skipper stating that he wants his team to motivate themselves by preparing for every match as a match against India.
In case you didn't know
The Pakistan team, who have never beaten India in a World Cup game, are low on confidence after losing their last ODI series against Australia by a 5-0 margin. They will begin their World Cup adventure against the West Indies on 31st May.
Heart of the matter
Pakistan are surely not one of the favourites to win the tournament but they seem to relish the tag of underdogs. The Men in Green proved that when they won the Champions Trophy in 2017. Even Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed insisted that the tag of underdogs is good for his team as it eases the pressure.
“Look, when we go as favourites, then it's a problem, but if we go as underdogs then other teams feel the danger, so I think being underdogs is good for us and eases the pressure."
In the 2019 edition of the World Cup, a new format will be in place. A round robin stage will precede the semi-finals. All the 10 teams would be vying for the four available semi-final spots, so even one slip-up can hurt. And the Pakistan captain has come out with a formula to motivate his troops.
"We all know that stakes are really high in a match between India and Pakistan. Both sets of players are really motivated to get a win over their arch rivals. The wicket-keeper-batsman said that the team must treat every match as a match against India.
“For us all nine matches are important so we will take every match as a match against India."
He also pointed out that the team can take confidence from the win in the Champions Trophy final against India.
“We have beaten India in a bigger event recently so we will have that advantage.”
What's next?
Pakistan will take on England in a five match ODI series and one T20I to prepare for the mega event in England and Wales.
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