Opener Imam-Ul-Haq on Sunday promised that a new Pakistan team will take the field after two World Cup defeats against Afghanistan.

The Pakistan World Cup caravan has moved to Chennai and at the moment there are plenty of issues they need to address. Batting slumps, high dot ball percentage, low sixes percentage, expensive returns with the new ball, lack of penetration through the middle overs and fielding errors, to name a few.

Pakistan opening batsman Imam-ul-Haq addressed the media in a press conference ahead of the crucial match of the ICC World Cup 2023 against Afghanistan in Chennai on Monday.

The left-handed batsman acknowledged Pakistan's recent struggles in the tournament, particularly their inability to convert good innings into exceptional ones.

While they hope to find solutions to these concerns soon enough, for now they just want some positive outcomes. Finally, the next two matches to be played in the southern Indian city could play a crucial role in deciding their fate in the competition considering the tournament is nearing the halfway point.

Imam stressed that it is normal for morale to drop after consecutive defeats, but stressed the unity and support within the team.

“Yes, when you lose games in a row, morale goes down, but we support each other and the management also supports the players. We are confident that we will get back on track after the win against Afghanistan. “We are not able to turn the 70s or 80s into a century, we have spoken to our coach about it,” he further added.

Imam-ul-Haq also addresses the issue of bowlers conceding runs in the tournament.

“Bowlers of all teams concede runs, it doesn’t just happen to us. Shaheen bowled well against Australia,” he said.
Imam recalled Pakistan's success in a three-match ODI series against Afghanistan in Sri Lanka, just ahead of the 2023 Asia Cup, where Pakistan emerged victorious and became the number one ODI team for the first time.

“We beat Afghanistan in fast-paced conditions in Hambantota and our record in Chennai gives us hope but we have to play our best cricket. The captain decides how many spinners play. If we are careful at the beginning and get off to a strong start, we can score 350 points,” he concluded.