Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly has thrown his weight behind Pakistan cricket to become as big as their neighbors if they make some minor adjustments to their system. Keeping in mind the likes of Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Shah Afridi, Ganguly reckons there is no shortage of talent within the setup.
Pakistan failed to qualify for the 2023 World Cup semi-finals after slumping to a 93-run loss to England on Saturday at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Babar Azam's men had already come to the game with an improbable task, but England were too good for them, scoring 337 after opting to bat first.
Speaking to A Sports, the former BCCI President reckons Pakistan has massive potential to become a cricketing powerhouse.
"Pakistan cricket team has always been strong. The country is full of talented players. Shaheen Afridi, Babar Azam and Imam-ul-Haq are good players. Pakistan cricket can become strong like Indian cricket with a few adjustments. I have been following Pakistan and they can perform well."
"IPL not the sole reason for India's success in international cricket" - Sourav Ganguly
Ganguly, one of India's most successful captains, revealed that real players are made from playing long-format games and that the collective infrastructure has made them robust. The 51-year-old added:
"IPL not the sole reason for India's success in international cricket. Quality cannot come from playing only IPL, quality comes from playing 4-day, 5-day cricket. If you play more T20 cricket, you will remain mediocre. I always say that play T20s, make money from T20s but if you want to be a player, you have to play 4-day, 5-day cricket. I think not only IPL, but the entire Indian cricketing infrastructure is incredible. There are so many matches, so many players and we are lucky in that way."
Meanwhile, Team India are the only unbeaten side in the 2023 World Cup thus far.
