Members of the Babar Azam-led side participated in a fun competition in Brisbane, Australia, ahead of the T20 World Cup 2022, when Pakistan will play India in their opening encounter. Fast bowling partners Mohammad Wasim Jr. and Naseem Shah received a throw challenge from Pakistan team coach Matthew Hayden. If Hayden could toss the ball “over the top of the stadium,” he would pay Wasim and Shah $100. Wasim expressed his confidence in his ability to launch the ball outside of the stadium. But he was unable to achieve that.
Prior to the 2022 T20 World Cup, Pakistan’s recent warm-up match against England on Monday served as a wake-up call. They performed poorly in every area and dropped the game by six wickets. The Pakistan XI roster included names like Shan Masood, Shadab Khan, and Asif Ali among others, despite the absence of superstars like Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. While batting first, Pakistan was able to achieve 160/8, but England was able to complete the chase in just 14.4 overs. Before playing India in the opening match of the 2022 T20 World Cup, they failed to impress Pakistan legend Misbah-ul-Haq with their level of fitness.
“Clear cut, fitness issues are visible, Waqar left four times [as coach], I left once. Players like myself, Shoaib Malik, and Younus Khan were quite into fitness, and we used to push ourselves. Those who push others out of their limitations are not considered good trainers nor good coaches,” Misbah, a former captain of the side, was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
