ICC World Cup 2023: Pakistan team gets warm welcome in Hyderabad; Babar Azam says ‘Overwhelmed with the love…’

livemint.com:

team arrived in Hyderabad, they received a warm welcome at Hyderabad airport. Excited crowds, held back by officers, cheered and shouted the team captain's name Babar Azam, as the Pakistanis arrived at the airport in the southern city of Hyderabad. The World Cup is scheduled to be held between October 5 to November 19 in India.

Pakistan Captain Babar Azam also shared an Instagram story where he said, “Overwhelmed with the love support here in Hyderabad." Shaheen Afridi also took to his official Instagram account and wrote, “Great welcome thus far." Ahead of their arrival, the ‘Men in Green’ Captain Babar asserted that their main objective is the World Cup not finishing top four. "The top four is a small goal for us. We want to come out as winners.

We did not have enough time to put together a camp before the World Cup because we had been playing for too long continuously. We wanted to give the players a break so they come back refreshed and with the hunger to win. You play well when you have that hunger," Babar had said in a press conference.

Ahead of the World Cup, Pakistan will play their warm-up match against New Zealand which is scheduled to take place in Hyderabad on September 29 behind closed doors. They will kick off their campaign for the World Cup against the Netherlands on October 6 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. Pakistan World Cup squad: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice captain), Fakhar Zaman, Imam ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Wasim.