Waqar Younis on World Cup contenders: ‘In terms of ticking boxes, no other team matches India, even Pakan’ | Cricket News

The 2023 ODI World Cup is less than a week away and former tournament winner with Pakan, Waqar Younis has pipped hosts India as the favorites to claim the title for the third time.
“If we only talk about ticking the boxes then we will see no other team can match India, even Pakan or any other team will not match India right now because India also have good spinners, not only the spinners who are playing right now in starting XI such as Kuldeep, Jadeja but also they have a strong bench strength,” Waqar told Star Sports. “So, if any chance, they face any injuries, the players who are sitting at the bench can’t be ignored due to their fantastic current form.”
Furthermore, the former Pakan quick delved into the issues pertaining to the Babar Azam-led Pakan side with pace sensation Naseem Shah having been ruled out of the marquee tournament.Most Read
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“The new ball is always crucial for us not only for this world cup but also if you can see overall matches, it has been always a very important factor for us over the years and in the past world cups also. When we used to strike and take wickets with the new ball, then we use to get some momentum for staying in a better position in the game. So, the absence of Naseem Shah is a very big loss for Pakan. Though, Hasan Ali has been declared as his replacement; he has got a lot of experience and gave brilliant performances in past as well but I feel to suddenly come and perform in this kind of big stage will not be an easy task for him,” Waqar said.
On the India-Pakan league stage game scheduled to be played on October 14 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Waqar said the men in blue starting favorites against their arch rivals doesn’t take the sheen away from the fixture.

“It will be the biggest game, mother of all the games. So, when you will play in Ahmedabad, which has one of the biggest and finest stadium in the world, you will have to control your nerves and not only Pakan will be under pressure since it is a weaker team as compared to India but India will be also under pressure because the crowd in the stadium will create pressure on both the teams and that will balance the pressure in the game. However, if we judge purely based on the team’s performance, clearly India definitely will be a better team,” the 51-year-old said.