Listen to Story Pakistan captain Babar Azam said the former champions will not take the USA lightly when the two teams meet in Dallas in a Group A clash of the T20 World Cup on Thursday, June 6. Pakistan will begin their campaign in the ninth edition of the tournament with doubts surrounding their form and team combination. On the other hand, the USA are high on confidence after having hammered Canada in the tournament opener at the same venue on June 2.
T20 World Cup: Full Coverage | Complete Schedule Pakistan have headed to the tournament on the back of a 2-0 drubbing in a four-match series to England in May. They also lost to Ireland in the first match of a 3-match series before clinching it 2-1. However, Pakistan will be confident in the lead-up to their opener and start as favourites against the USA.
"It will be a proud moment and a big occasion for the USA when they play a former champion on Thursday. After beating Bangladesh 2-1 and then Canada in the tournament opener, they have demonstrated they deserve to be here, which is excellent news for cricket promotion and development in the region. We will give them the respect they deserve without being complacent," Babar Azam said in a statement from the Pakistan Cricket Board.
The Pakistan captain also highlighted that the USA will be well aware of the conditions at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, having played their home games at the venue. USA were clinical in their opening-day win over Canada. Despite conceding 19.