Waqar names four match-winners in Pakistan's World Cup squad

Former Pakistan captain, Waqar Younis, has singled out four players in the squad whom he believes can be the difference-makers for Pakistan. First on the list is the captain, Babar Azam, who has the ability to dominate any bowling attack. Alongside Babar, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Imam ul Haq, and Fakhar Zaman have caught Waqar's eye as a match-winner. 

In an exclusive interview with Cricket Pakistan, Waqar expressed his confidence in Pakistan's ability to handle pressure in the upcoming World Cup. He believes that the team has match-winners who can turn the tide of the game single-handedly.

"Pakistan team have handled pressure in a better way in the recent past. In my opinion, it doesn't matter wherever you play, irrespective of whether in India or Pakistan, if you have your process in check and are executing your skills and plans sufficiently well, so I don't think so we have any issue. We have match-winners, we have individuals that can win you matches single-handedly, including Babar himself, Shaheen - Fakhar can do wonders, then, of course, we have seen Imam playing great innings, so all-in-all, Pakistan has all the resources definitely, now it's just the matter of putting things together and handling pressure," Waqar said.

Speaking about Pakistan's preparation and approach towards the upcoming World Cup, Waqar stated that the team had shown resilience in handling pressure recently and that a solid execution of plans and skills is important for success.

"In our times, the pressure wasn't that of a big concern as what it seems right now. The lesser you play against a team, that too against a big team - so whenever you'll play them, especially if it is Pakistan and India, the pressure would be immense and tripled. Pressure is always high, but maybe in our times, it was comparatively lesser because we used to play lots of cricket in my early days. But then again, in World Cup, we used to choke against India. Nonetheless, as I said, players these days are handling the pressure definitely better. These match-winners, which I mentioned earlier, they'll win us the game," he concluded.

The ODI World Cup 2023 is scheduled to begin in India on October 5, featuring ten teams. The highly anticipated clash between India and Pakistan at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, initially scheduled on October 15, is likely to be rescheduled to October 14 due to Navratri celebrations.