Grant Bradburn eager to end trophy drought for Pakistan

Grant Bradburn, the head coach of the Pakistan cricket team, has highlighted the team's commitment to continuous improvement and its determination to bring home trophies.

While talking to a local news channel, the head coach highlighted Pakistan's hunger for trophy success, stating that they haven't won a World Cup since 1992.

“You know we're not we're not comfortable with where we've sat. We haven't won a World Cup since 92. We're longing to win a trophy. And if now if not now, when. If not, our guys, who else? So, that's my challenge to them now. I think individually we've got a fantastic team as you've. But we're not the trophy winning team that we want to be yet, but that's what we're working hard towards,” Bradburn said.

Bradburn emphasized that the team is focused on continuous improvement and is challenging its players to elevate their skills.

“We're playing for the bigger picture, but day-to-day, we're just focusing on the present. Right now, we're preparing to play tomorrow. We're trying to keep our feet on the ground and get better as a unit every day. We're challenging our players to improve their skills. We want to be the number 1 in the world, which means we need the very best skills. It's our firm challenge to our players each and every day that look what we've bought so far in the last few years, that has got us mid table,” he further added.

Bradburn emphasized the importance of making strides in the right direction. He also revealed the team's ambitious aspirations to become the world's number one in all formats of the game.

"Look, we're aiming to be the number 1 in the world in all formats of the game, so we have high expectations and high standards. We know we won't meet them every day, but as long as we're making strides in the right direction, that's the key for us. It's no secret that we've been working hard on the middle phase of our innings, and by and large, we're very pleased with what we saw in Multan in terms of batting and bowling,” he further said.

Bradburn also addressed specific areas of concern, including the middle phase of their innings and fielding. He expressed confidence in the team's progress in these areas, citing improvements seen during their recent matches.

"We were under pressure in Kandy in the middle overs, and that's an area we're working hard on because it's vital to winning trophies. We're confident that we've made progress in those areas of the game, both in batting, bowling, and fielding, which wasn't up to our expectations in Kandy. But overall, we're looking to improve every aspect of our game, he added.

Bradburn acknowledged the team's positive results and hard work but stressed that they are yet to achieve their ultimate goal.

"We haven't won anything yet, and you know the players have been going well, our results have been favourable. We've been working hard on our skills, and we're confident that our skills are getting better and better. We're challenging them. We're telling them to get better and better every day, and yeah, we desperately want to bring trophies back here," he concluded.

Since the arrival of Bradburn as head coach of Pakistan, they have defeated Sri Lanka in the Test series and whitewashed Afghanistan in three-match One Day International (ODI) series. In the ongoing Asia Cup 2023, Pakistan has qualified for Super four stage where they will square off Bangladesh on Wednesday.