Not just India, every World Cup match will be important: Misbah

Published November 6, 2014
This picture shows Pakistan cricket team skipper Misbah-ul-Haq posing with ICC World Cup 2015 trophy in Lahore. — AFP/File
This picture shows Pakistan cricket team skipper Misbah-ul-Haq posing with ICC World Cup 2015 trophy in Lahore. — AFP/File

Misbah-ul-Haq, who was part of the side that lost the semi-final to India in Mohali in 2011, said every match in the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 will be important.

Talking at an ICC event marking the 100-day World Cup countdown, Misbah said, “The tournament opener against India in Adelaide (on Feb 15) will be an important match but every game in the World Cup will matter as each side will enter into the competition believing that it can lift the coveted trophy.”

Misbah, who, in 13th position, is the country’s highest-ranked batsman in the ICC ratings, added: “We will take one match at a time, try to stick to our game plans, aim to do the basics right and then hope for the best.”

The veteran of 151 ODIs hopes that the World Cup 1992 victory will guide Pakistan through to next year’s event.

“Pakistan has unforgettable memories from the event when it was last staged in Australia and New Zealand. Though you don’t require any extra motivation when representing your country, the 1992 World Cup will help us at every stage during next year’s tournament.”

Talking about the World Cup, Misbah said: “The best of the best in ODIs assemble once in four years at the World Cup, and this is exactly what makes the World Cup such a special and unique event, not only for the players but also for the fans around the world.”

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 will start from Feb 14. A total of 49 matches will be played across 14 venues, seven in New Zealand (Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton, Napier, Nelson and Wellington) and seven in Australia (Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney).

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