"Team Is Hungry...": Pakistan Captain Babar Azam Declares Ahead Of Asia Cup

Exuding confidence, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam on Monday said the team's players are driven by a strong "hunger" for success as they set their sights on clinching the coveted Asia Cup and World Cup titles. Fresh from their 4-1 home series win over New Zealand, Pakistan are currently in pursuit of the top spot in ODI rankings. They may very well dethrone Australia as the world's No 1 side with a 3-0 whitewash over Afghanistan in their Asia Cup build-up series beginning in Sri Lanka on Tuesday.

"Every player has a hunger to perform in this team. Every player wants to give match-winning performances," Azam said in Hambantota on the eve of their three-match ODI series against Afghanistan.

The series will be a prelude to their Asia Cup campaign. "Recently we have had different player of the match award winners, which is a good sign for any team. When you perform in big tournaments, it boosts your morale as a team and as individuals and this team has performed well in the recent past. Bowlers win you big tournaments and I have faith in them to win us big tournaments,” he said.

Pakistan may never have been defeated by Afghanistan in ODIs, but Azam acknowledged that the upcoming series could be challenging as their opponents would be coming from a 2-1 away victory in Bangladesh.

“We are focused in our preparations as we have big events in the Asia Cup and the World Cup coming up,” said Babar, under whose captaincy Pakistan have won 17 out of 26 ODIs. “But, at the same time, we want to take one series at a time... It is always beneficial for a team to get such a series ahead of major events.

"That we are playing in Asian conditions will definitely provide us an edge and help us get in the rhythm. The Afghanistan team is on the