LAHORE – Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) WasimKhan said that Test and T20I series wins against South Africa have giventhe national team the required momentum and confidence to achieve betterresults in 2021.
Post the HBL Pakistan Super League, which will be held from 20 February to22 March, Babar Azam’s men play five Tests, 12 One-Day Internationals and aminimum of 19 Twenty20 Internationals, besides the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup2021.
The 12 One-Day Internationals will be part of the 13-team ICC Super Leaguefrom which the top seven sides will qualify directly for the ICC Men’sCricket World Cup 2023,
while July/August’s three Tests against the West Indies will be their firstseries in the ICC World Test Championship 2021-23 cycle. Their other fiveseries in the test championship will be in 2022 against Bangladesh and SriLanka (away), Australia, New Zealand and England (at home).
In addition to these, Pakistan will play, at least, 16 Twenty20International before featuring in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021. The2021 calendar year will end with three home T20Is against the West Indies.
Wasim said here on Monday that the main focus of the national team will beto collect maximum wins in the ICC Super League matches in order to securea qualification for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.
“This year we have a rich content of white-ball cricket. Our objective isto win maximum ODIs to stay in contention for a direct qualification forthe World Cup, while winning most of the T20I will help us in ourpreparations for the ICC T20 World Cup 2021,” Wasim said.“The inaugural ICC World Test Championship 2019-21 didn’t go as we hadhoped following loses in Australia, England and New Zealand.
But these matches definitely provided the side a great experience and wefinished on a high with a series win against South Africa.
link
Read Top Stories
“We are ready to start our ICC World Test Championship 2021-23 journey withthe series against the West Indies in August and very much looking forwardto that. The West Indies will be one of the three away series withBangladesh and Sri Lanka being the other two, while the three home serieswill be against Australia, New Zealand and Australia.
“There’s a lot to look forward to for our fans in our home conditions. Wehave already seen we are a formidable side in our conditions and very muchlook forward to welcoming Australia, New Zealand and England in 2022 aspart of the ICC World Test Championship 2021-23.
“One of our strategic objective remains to feature in an ICC World TestChampionship final in 2023 and I hope we’ll accomplish this in the 2021-23edition.
“If you asked me about three key targets in 2021 for the national team,then these have to be to win maximum ODIs to enhance chances of directlyqualifying for the 2023 World Cup, winning maximum T20Is to be in the bestshape for the ICC T20 World Cup and launching our ambitions of featuring inthe ICC World Test Championship with a series win in the West Indies,”Wasim said.
Following the board’s strenuous efforts, Pakistan has seen the completeresumption of international cricket in the country in December 2019 whenSri Lanka became the first side to tour Pakistan for a Test series after a10-year-long drought. It was followed by Bangladesh’s visit to the countryfor a Test and three T20Is.
South Africa were the first non-Asian team to land in Pakistan since thereturn of international cricket in the country.
On the return of Test cricket in Pakistan, Wasim said: “It was veryimportant for the country that we return to Pakistan and play cricket here.There is nothing like home conditions and all teams – whether it isAustralia, England or New Zealand – they capitalise on the home conditions.The South Africa series underscores our ability to make the most of thehome conditions as we won the series 2-0.link
