Monitoring Desk
\nTAUNTON
\nPakistan\u2019s young opening batsman Imam ul Haq has said that he doesn\u2019t see Australian pacer Mitchell Starc as a threat, in fact, he is excited to face a bowler like him.
\nThe 23-year old Pakistani opener said that his side is well prepared to face Australia\u2019s bowling attack in the World Cup match to be played at Taunton on Wednesday.
\n\u201cStarc isn\u2019t a threat. In fact, I am excited to face him. Same was said about Archer and Woods. I have played Rabada in more difficult conditions. You can\u2019t say a bowler is threatening. I try to prepare according to my strength instead of bowlers\u2019 strength,\u201d he said.
\nImam added that the result of Pakistan\u2019s bilateral series against Australia will not reflect on Pakistan\u2019s performance in the game on 12th June.
\n\u201cLoss to Australia in the ODI series is not on our mind, we have good morale and players are highly confident. We have been preparing for the World cup. It is all about self-belief, the results of Australia series won\u2019t have any impact on this match and it will be a new game,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cYou need to beat top teams if you want to play World Cup final. 2 points against SL were important. If we want to play the world cup final, we will have to beat Australia and other bigger teams. It also boosts your morale,\u201d Imam highlighted.
\nThe young batsman is also aware of the fact that one good performance in the tournament can make him, or anyone, a hero overnight and he\u2019s looking forward to giving his best.
\nBut, Imam adds that for him every game \u2013 world cup or no world cup \u2013 is important and he aims not to let down supporters of Pakistan team whenever he\u2019s in the middle.
\nThe opening batsman says his target as an opener is not to lose his wicket, at least in first ten overs, and give Pakistan a solid start and then try to play total 50 overs so that team can post a big total.
\n\u201cIf you see, teams have succeeded in world cup only when the top three players have done well. If your openers do well, then you\u2019re 95% in good. We try not to give wicket in first ten overs and then once you\u2019re set to try to play full 50 overs so that it gives a platform to the team,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cEveryone learns from mistakes. It is also part of every walk of life. I never said that I don\u2019t make mistakes, but I always try to learn from them and not to repeat them again,\u201d he aimed
\nTalking about the much-anticipated World Cup game against India, the Pakistani batsman said that for him, preparing for the match against India is not different from preparing for a match against Afghanistan.
\n\u201cFor me all teams are equal, India Pakistan match is a bigger match for the world but for me to prepare for India\u2019s game is not different from preparing for Afghanistan\u2019s game because all the teams in the world cup are top-level teams,\u201d he said.
\nThe young batsman who averages above 57 in 30 ODIs is usually criticized back home, mainly because his of his relation with Pakistan\u2019s chief selector Inzamam ul Haq.
\nMany usually get demoralized by such harsh criticism, but Imam says that such talks only make him stronger and motivates him to do more hard work.
\n\u201cCriticism is part and parcel of the game and it goes with your life. I keep my focus on cricket and World Cup where I m trying to give my best. For me, it is important to give my maximum for the team,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cBeing a human being, it is natural to feel hurt by the criticism, but it has made me a strong character. I am more mentally stronger. It has encouraged me to do more hard work,\u201d Imam added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Monitoring Desk TAUNTON Pakistan\u2019s young opening batsman Imam ul Haq has said that he doesn\u2019t see Australian pacer Mitchell Starc as a threat, in fact, he is excited to face a bowler like him. The 23-year old Pakistani opener said that his side is well prepared to face Australia\u2019s bowling attack in the World Cup […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-68478","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n