T20 World Cup: Hafeez opens up on pressure of playing in India

Pakistan’s veteran all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez has opened up on the pressure of playing in India by claiming that winning the bilateral series before the T20 World Cup would teach players to perform in those conditions.

The 40-year-old also stated that a sound process would always lead to good results.

“I am a big believer of the process. When you have a sound process then your end result or product is always going to be good. Wherever the event may be in India or anywhere, would be a big stage. You have to go through these smaller stages of bilateral series first and by winning them you can match up with any side in the final stage that is the mega event itself,” Hafeez said while speaking on Cricket Bazz YouTube channel.

The all-rounder claimed that the execution of an individual’s skills under pressure was the most important factor in high-voltage and high-intensity encounters on the international stage.

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“What I have experienced is that in all the high-voltage and high-intensity games, the most important thing is the execution of skills under pressure. When you are under immense pressure that is where it is important to execute all the skills that you have or have learned. When you perform well in those cases you have the ability to absorb more pressure. This drives you to better performances,” he said.

Hafeez believed Pakistan had a great opportunity to prepare for the mega event because all of their future fixtures before the T20 World Cup would be on away tours.

“Pakistan cricket has a great opportunity because they will be featuring in away series like South Africa in their home turf, England in England and West Indies in West Indies. This will determine where we stand as a team. If we can do well in these series and create a winning momentum then it will show that everyone is ready. This will show that everyone is ready to perform under pressure. Winning away series is a big morale booster. This gives you confidence for any big event,” he concluded.