ODI World Cup 2023: Pakistan Cricket Board Mulling Sending A Psychologist To India To Help Players Cope With Pressure

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has pondered sending a psychologist for the upcoming 50-over World Cup set to take place in India in October-November. According to media reports, the PCB has mulled upon the idea of helping the players cope with the pressures of playing in a big tournament in India.

Nevertheless, the board will arrive at a decision only after PCB's newly-appointed chief Zaka Ashraf meets Pakistan captain Babar Azam. Babar, the top-ranked ODI batter, and their best player, is currently in Sri Lanka playing for the Colombo Strikers in the Lanka Premier League (LPL).

"Zaka is a big believer that having a psychologist with the players will help them, especially when they are not performing well or feeling external pressures of a tour to India. When Zaka Ashraf was Chairman (of PCB) he had got a well-known psychologist Maqbool Babri to work with the players and he also went with them to India in 2012/13," a PCB official claimed as per news agency PTI.

The official added that Pakistan team had sessions with a sports psychologist before the 2011 World Cup.

Pakistan aim to arrest their losing streak against India in 50-over World Cups:

Meanwhile, Babar Azam and co. will be desperate to end their losing streak against India in 50-over World Cups this year. The two arch-rivals first faced one another in an ODI World Cup game in 1992 and India have won all seven encounters till 2019.

Pakistan's only victory in any World Cup game came against India in 2021. They will face the Men in Blue on October 14th at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.