Pakistan Team Director Mickey Arthur stated India vs Pakistan is not be all and end all of the ODI World Cup.
Mickey Arthur, team director and head coach, believes that although Pakistan’s big match against India on October 15 in Ahmedabad may be significant from the standpoint of supporters on both sides of the border, it is not the “be all and end all” in terms of cricket.
Arthur is aware of the excitement surrounding the match, but to him, it will be no different from any other game in which one can win or lose by two points.
Arthur stated on the Pakistani YouTube channel “Cricket Baaz” that “I don’t think Pakistan and India is the be all and end all of the World Cup.”
“From the viewpoint of a fan, looking at the feelings and relationships between the two countries, one can understand the curiosity it sparks and the feelings that go along with it. But from a cricket perspective, I believe that if you want to win the World Cup, you must perform well against every team,” the South African continued.
Arthur was determined to minimize the pressure factor, and he has already begun playing mind games by claiming that India would be under strain.
“The Indian team will have very high expectations at the World Cup. They are a strong team, and how well they play will rely on their capacity to withstand the strain of playing at home,” he said.
Additionally, the Australian coach stated that Pakistan’s administration had not advocated for the relocation of their game against Afghanistan from Chennai to Bengaluru.
“Yes, we talked about it, but it was just a conversation. It’s not like our plans depended entirely on whether or not we played Afghanistan in Chennai. Any team would prefer to play Afghanistan somewhere else, let’s face it. He acknowledged that the perception of Pakistan’s team was negatively impacted by the news that the country had requested a change in the location for its matches against Afghanistan and Australia.”
When asked if he supported Babar during the speculations that former PCB Chairman Najam Sethi and some of his associates wanted a change in captaincy, Arthur said he had spoken to Sethi and explained that Babar had grown as a leader.
“Babar is something I’m proud of. the manner in which he has grown into a world-class batsman and a leader.” “Babar is the centre of our brand-new philosophy for playing cricket, which we call “The Pakistani Way.” He completely agrees with me and the rest of the management that this is the way we should play cricket going forward. Arthur described “The Pakistani Way” as being all about playing as a team and having confidence in oneself.
