New Zealand all-rounder Jimmy Neesham is confident his side will bounce back from their loss against Pakistan in the World Cup, while Pakistan’s match-winning centurion Babar Azam has targeted becoming one of the game’s “topmost players” after contributing “one of my best innings”.
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“We don’t spend any time paying attention to how other teams are going or how they prepare,” Neesham told reporters after the six-wicket loss in Birmingham on June 26. “For us, it’s about looking after our own backyard. We’ve obviously been playing really good cricket over the tournament so far. Today was a bit of a blip, but that certainly won’t change the way we prepare for the last two games.”
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Neesham, along with Colin de Grandhomme (64), hauled up the Kiwis out of a hole in the first innings; their 132-run stand helped resuscitate them from 83-5 to a respectable 237. Neesham hit 97 – his highest ODI score – after Shaheen Afridi blew New Zealand’s top-order away with his initial spell of 3-11.
Known for his power-hitting at the death, Neesham had to uncharacteristically assume the role of anchor, biding his time and surviving a testing phase.
Azam, who became the second fastest to reach 3,000 ODI runs ever [after Hashim Amla], expressed satisfaction at his own approach on a difficult track, but maintained that his primary focus lay in contributing to the team’s cause.
“The target is to be one of the topmost players. That’s what I plan for every time, to give my 100 per cent for the team. Performing for the team is the most important, individual performances alone don’t make me happy.”
Pakistan’s World Cup campaign has been spurred by back-to-back wins against South Africa and New Zealand, but Azam insists that they are taking it one fixture at a time, considering every match as do-or-die.
“After losing to Australia and India, we spoke about giving it our all in the next four games. We’ve managed two out of the four already. A few small aspects can improve, including the fielding, but things are improving for us. We believe in each other, and are always there to support one another. If one of us doesn’t finish the task, someone else will.”
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