'They are well and truly scared of our ODI team': Imam-ul-Haq makes towering claim ahead of World Cup in India

The much-anticipated clash between India and Pakistan in the 2023 Asia Cup on September 2 has cricket fans on the edge of their seats, with the prospect of a trilogy of encounters between both sides looming if they make it to the super fours and subsequently the final. Amidst the plethora of highly-charged India-Pakistan games, a pinnacle showdown is slated for October 14 in Ahmedabad during the ODI World Cup. This fixture marks Pakistan's return to Indian soil since the 2016 T20 World Cup, although none of the current team members have previously visited India.

However, Pakistan's cricketing spirit remains unshaken by the challenge of facing India on their home turf. Imam-ul-Haq recently made a bold assertion, highlighting Pakistan's potential in the World Cup. Imam believes that opposition teams have a sense of "fear" when it comes to Pakistan, particularly in the One Day International (ODI) format.

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The Pakistan side does boast of a lethal pace bowling attack in Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf, and has some of the leading batters in the world in captain Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, and Fakhar Zaman among others.

“I try to live in the present. I'm not thinking about that (World Cup) right now. Yes, in the back of my mind, I'm preparing for the World Cup. I know that people are well and truly scared of our one-day team, because we have achieved some great wins. We have a pattern that we follow. I believe our one-day team is particularly good,” Imam told YouTuber Daniyal Sheikh in a podcast.

“Our strength is our fast bowling and batting. I've played 60 games, Fakhar played 70, Babar played 100-odd games. Naseem, Shaheen, Haris, and Wasim Jr are there. Then we have Shadab and Nawaz, and Osama Mir has also come. Iftikhar Ahmed and Salman Ali Agha are there, Rizzi (Rizwan) is there. I'm not saying that this is a team good because I'm a part of it. I would say this is a balanced team even if I wasn't playing for them. But I believe there cannot be a better team than this. The players are confident, they know their roles. That's why I'm emphasizing that the ODI team is better than the T20I team,” Imam further stressed.

Exciting competition awaits

Indeed, Pakistan showed a glimpse of their strength in the format on Tuesday night, when they bowled out Afghanistan for merely 59 defending 202 in Hambantota. While Haris Rauf took a fifer (5/18), Shaheen Afridi picked two wickets in only his second over, registering figures of 2/9 in four overs.

As the cricketing world awaits the high-stake encounters between India and Pakistan, the charisma of the rivalry continues to capture the interest of fans worldwide.