Bad news for team Pakistan, currently in the USA in connection with the T-20 cricket World Cup (WC), as all-rounder Imad Wasim will not be playing in the team’s first match of the event due to side strain, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Wednesday.

Talking to the media in Dallas, Captain Babar Azam has confirmed that the all-rounder will not be playing the opening match against the USA.

However, he has said he is hopeful that he will be available for the remaining matches.

Babar has said that the team is well prepared for the tournament, and the team’s only goal is to win the WC. “I have trust in my team that they will play well,” he has said, adding, “Fast bowlers are performing well in the US conditions. We will make sure we don’t repeat the mistakes we made in the past.”

The star batsman has further said that all senior players in the team will have to lead from the front.   

Babar has said that all matches that have been played so far have been low-scoring matches. “Shadab, Imad and Haris have played here previously as well and they are better familiar with the conditions,” he has said, adding that no batsman’s batting number is fixed. “The batting order can be changed according to the situation.”

He has lamented that Saim Ayub has failed to perform according to the expectations. “We are not concerned about what kinds of facilities we are being provided here and which are not. Neither we bother about the distance between the hotels we are staying in and the stadiums,” the star batsman has said.

Babar has termed the holding of first cricket tournament on US soil a good omen.

Pakistan is due to take on hosts USA in their first encounter of the tournament tomorrow.

Reporter: Javed Iqbal