Pakistan’s white-ball skipper held a press conference on Wednesday where he weighed on the Green Shirts’ squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup which is set to begin on June 1 at the Grand Prairie Stadium, Texas, United States.
Azam, who was re-appointed as Pakistan’s white-ball captain last month, will lead the Men in Green in the upcoming World Cup, which would be his third as a skipper.
During the presser, Babar was asked if the team that is selected for the New Zealand series will be chosen for the impeding T20 World Cup or if there would be changes to which the 29-year-old replied that there is still much time and it is to be decided.
“Right now, our focus is on the New Zealand series but the World Cup squad will almost consist of the same players. You never know what happens next, because there is a lot of time for it,” Azam said in a presser.
“We would have days even after announcing the squad for the World Cup. No one is 100% sure to make the squad, we will try to make sure that the best team is selected.”
Remember, Pakistan and India will play the most anticipated match on June 9 at Eisenhower Park in New York.
The 2024 tournament, which begins on June 1, will feature a 20-team format divided into two stages before the knockout phase, albeit different from the First Round/Super 12 arrangement seen in the 2021 and 2022 editions.
The top two teams from each of the four groups of five will progress to a Super Eights phase, where the remaining sides will be divided into two groups of four. The top two from each group will then advance to the semi-finals.
The Semi-finals of the event will be played on June 26 and 27 in Guyana and Trinidad respectively while the climax of the World Cup will take place in Barbados on June 29.
England are the defending champions after clinching the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, beating Pakistan in the final.
Groups for T20 World Cup 2024
Group A: India, Pakistan, Ireland, Canada, United States
Group B: England, Australia, Namibia, Scotland, Oman
Group C: New Zealand, West Indies, Afghanistan, Uganda, Papua New Guinea
Group D: South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Netherlands, Nepal
- Babar Azam
