Captain Babar Azam on Saturday told his young Pakistan team to ride the wave of four consecutive victories to win the Twenty20 World Cup final.
The 2009 champions suffered last-ball defeats to India and Zimbabwe to open their tournament but bounced back to reach Sunday’s final against England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
“We have lost the first two matches, but the way we have bounced back in the last four matches, we have done very well,” Babar said in his pre-match press conference.
“I’m more excited than nervous…There’s no doubt that pressure is there, but it can only be tamed with self-confidence and belief. And for good results, it’s important to do that.”
Pakistan are slight underdogs against Jos Buttler’s England, but Babar has been working on the strength of his fast bowlers to give them the upper hand, especially in the six-over powerplay.
“England are a competitive team, their (10-wicket) win against India to reach the final is proof of that,” he said.
“Our strategy is to stick to our plan and use our pace attack as our strength to win the final.
“Using the power play to get maximum wickets will be essential for the match.”
Despite the late injuries, Pakistan is ready to name a single team with Shaheen Shah Afridi leading the dangerous attack and Babar and Mohammad Rizwan leading the batting.
Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Ramiz Raja met the squad on Friday and gave them a pep talk, reflecting on how Pakistan beat England to win the 1992 ODI World Cup. .
“When the chairman came and shared his World Cup experience, it boosted our confidence tremendously,” Babar said. “He advised us to stay calm and focus on what’s good.”
More than 90,000 fans packed the MCG when Pakistan took on India earlier in the tournament and have been solidly supported wherever they play in Australia.
“They give us confidence and it’s good to see that wherever we go, in any stadium, they come and support the Pakistan team,” he said.
