Our goal is to make our team number 1: Imam-ul-Haq

Imam-ul-Haq, ODI opener for the national side, has said that while the ranking of individual players is good, the goal is to take the team to the number one spot.

The team’s aim is to whitewash New Zealand in the upcoming five-match ODI series to grab the number one position, Imam, who is currently ranked third in the ICC rankings for batters, said.

“There is a difference between ODI and T20I. During the last one-and-a-half year, we won nine out of 12 ODIs,” he added.

“We are focused on our team performance. I am number three in ODI rankings, Babar is number one but our team’s ranking is not good. We are looking forward to winning this series 5-0 to make our team number one. That is the goal for now,” he shared.

Pakistan are currently ranked fifth in ICC Men’s Team Rankings. If they beat New Zealand 5-0, they will be the top team in the world. It must be noted here that the five-match T20I series between Pakistan and New Zealand held a 2-2 draw.

Before Asia Cup and ICC World Cup this year, Pakistan will play at least eight ODIs including the upcoming home series against New Zealand, starting on April 27 in Rawalpindi.

“World Cup is just around the corner, we need to race our preparations for the mega event. This series is very important for World Cup preparations,” reiterated Imam.

“We will play fewer ODIs before World Cup but we will try to get ourselves ready for the mega event. Our focus is to play competitive cricket in Asia Cup and World Cup,” he added.

Imam said it will be special for him to represent Pakistan in the World Cup in India. “I haven’t set any personal goals for that, the only aim is to win matches for my team.”