Babar Azam
Pakistan captain Babar Azam is looking forward to opening their campaign and said his side will feel at home in UAE conditions having played there on a consistent basis.
"For Pakistan, the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021 is like a home event as the UAE has been our venue for more than a decade. We have not only nurtured our talent and developed our side in the UAE but have also beaten the top sides in these conditions to peak to number-one in the ICC T20I Team Rankings," he said.
"All the players are excited, motivated and enthusiastic, and view this tournament as an opportunity to showcase our prowess and re-establish our superiority in the shortest format of the game in conditions that suit us best."
Pakistan will open their account against arch-rivals India in their ICC T20 World Cup opener on October 24 in Dubai, the ICC announced on Tuesday.
As per the schedule announced by the International Cricket Council (ICC), Pakistan's next opponent will be New Zealand, on October 26 at Sharjah and Afghanistan on October 29 in Dubai.
Pakistan, who are part of Group 2 in Super 12, will be joined by two qualifiers from Round 1 of the ICC T20 World Cup whom they will face on November 2 and 7.
"From a personal point of view, this will be my first ICC major event as Pakistan captain. I tasted success in 2017 and suffered disappointment in 2019 when we missed out on a semi-final spot by a fraction of a point despite beating both the finalists in league matches," Azam added.
After ending up as runners-up in the inaugural World T20 in 2007, Pakistan bagged the elusive trophy in 2009. They then finished up as semi-finalists in the next two editions and exited the tournament in Super 10 round in the last two tournaments.
