THE Pakistan cricket team have arrived in India ahead of the World Cup after captain Babar Azam broke his silence on rumours of a dressing room rift.
The players looked in an upbeat mood when they were greeted by cheering crowds at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport ahead of the iconic ODI tournament.
EPABabar Azam squashed any idea of a rift between the players in his final press conference before the team left Pakistan[/caption]
AFPThe Pakistan team arrived in India ahead of the World Cup led by their captain[/caption]
Babar Azam said when he arrived: “All of us are proud of travelling for the World Cup.
“It is quite an honour for me to travel as the captain this time around, I hope we come back with a trophy this time.”
This is the first time in almost a decade that the Pakistan side has been to India as they hope for a better showing than at the disastrous Asia Cup.
In his last press conference before leaving for the World Cup, Babar confirmed they were all friends and shut down any idea of a feud with pacer Shaheen Afridi.
Babar said: “Respect is given to everyone.
“You see, whenever the match is close and we lose, it’s just a regular meeting, but sometimes it’s portrayed as if we had a fight.
“It shouldn’t be like that.
“Respect should remain constant for everyone.
“We love each other as much as we do our family.”
After crashing out of the Asia Cup, where they lost to Sri Lanka in the Super 4 section of the coveted tournament, rumours of a big feud started.
According to reports, the Pakistan captain Babar Azam got engaged in a vicious war of words with star pacer Shaheen Afridi.
Bol News reported that Babar questioned his senior players after the poor showing before Shaheen interrupted and accused him of criticising those who played well.
Babar snapped back by saying he was well aware of who performed well and who let the side down.
It then continued out of the dressing room as the captain left to do a press conference before going straight back to the hotel without speaking to any of his teammates.
The team left Pakistan on Wednesday so they could prepare for their final warm up game against New Zealand before the big tournament in which they’re one of the favourites to win.
The original plan was for them to fly to Dubai for a few nights but due to visa issues they’ve missed out on two days of training.
The Pakistan Cricket Board had written to the International Cricket Council on Monday about the delay before they eventually got it sorted.
At the airport several cameras caught the team’s arrival, with Babar and Shaheen even having a photo taken together which was all smiles.
This was the second picture of the pair since the apparent rift, after they were snapped together at Shaheen’s wedding to Ansha Afridi.
Babar also took to social media to thank India for the warm welcome.
Taking to Instagram, he posted a story that said: “Overwhelmed with love and support here in Hyderabad.”
Back in Pakistan, the captain also answered concerns over how the team will play away from home.
He said: “Unfortunately, we will be missing the fans.
“However, as far as I know, the games are all sold out so we will be playing in jam-packed stadiums.”
He continued on, saying: “Although our fans will not be there, I know they will make sure their love is heard on social media.”
They kick off their World Cup campaign against the Netherlands on October 6, hoping for a big start to get some confidence.
If they are to win they’ll need to fend off some huge names.
Australia and England are coming off a strong summer Ashes series and India will be looking to extend their winning run after beating Sri Lanka in the final of the Asia Cup earlier this month.
Babar Azam was also in the news recently for speeding in his Audi and was given a £20 fine.
The news came just after Pakistan ended bottom of the Asia Cup Super Four.
Captain Babar and Shaheen Afridi were rumoured to be in a feud after the pair argued after defeat in the Asia CupAFP
The cricket ace reassured fans that the team was full of loveAP