Babar and Co take on charged-up USA

Ahead of their T20 World Cup opener against co-hosts USA at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas today, Pakistan captain Babar Azam did not hesitate to state their aim in the mega event.

"We are here to try to win the World Cup," said Babar, who recently became the second batter after Virat Kohli to go past the 4000-run mark in T20Is. Star Indian batter is leading the chart with 4037 runs, and Babar is a close second with 4023 runs.

But for Babar, who has been reinstated as the Pakistan skipper after their tumultuous brief spell under pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi following the 50-over World Cup in 2023, the focus was solely on playing as per the team requirement and situation of a match instead of going for individual glory.

"I am not here thinking about personal records. What matters is that the team does well, and we succeed in winning the World Cup. We have learnt from our past mistakes," Babar added.

But it would definitely not be easy for Babar and Co in their bid to win a second world T20 title.

Pakistan are dangerous opponents for the best of teams in major tournaments but they could face a rocky road in their quest for a first Twenty20 World Cup title since their sole triumph in 2009 after a radical overhaul in recent months.

An underwhelming display in the 50-overs World Cup in India last year, where the team failed to qualify for the tournament's knockout stages after losing five of their nine games, led to Babar stepping down as captain in all formats.

Pacer Shaheen Afridi was put in charge of the T20 squad but Pakistan were thrashed 4-1 in New Zealand in January, prompting Babar to take the reins again in white-ball cricket, and he led the team to a nervy 2-2 home draw against the same opponents.

Pakistan are one of the three teams to have not played any warm-up fixtures ahead of the 20-team tournament, but Babar was not fixated on it, mentioning that his team had played some cricket before arriving for the mega event.

"It is okay. We have no complaints, and we have seen all this before. Not playing any warm-up games before our first match could have been a problem, but we have come here after playing some cricket. It is not an issue for us," he said.

Pakistan come fresh from playing a four-match T20I series against defending champions England, but two of those games in England were washed out while the other two were won convincingly by the hosts.

Meanwhile, ICC associates USA, despite being ranked 11 spots lower than sixth-placed Pakistan in T20I rankings, will be fancying their chances of springing a surprise in Dallas today.

Having come into the mega event on the back of a historic series win over Bangladesh -- their first-ever T20I series triumph over a Test-playing nation -- the USA opened the T20 World Cup in majestic fashion. Powered by a 40-ball 94 from Aaron Jones, the USA chased down a 195-run target with seven wickets and 14 balls to spare, despite being reduced to 42 for two after 6.3 overs.

That effort from Stuart Law's charges definitely showed that USA not only have the firepower for a big chase but also the mentality of bouncing back from dire situations -- something they might need against top T20 nations like Pakistan in the tournament.