All is lost for Pakistan with the defeat of New Zealand at the hands of England. With this loss, dreams of Pakistani fans have also been shattered to reach the semifinals of the World Cup 2019.
Statisticians have relayed about a bleak chance for Pakistan to reach the semifinals which is almost out of the question. Pakistan require to bowl out strong batting line of Bangladesh for 38 after scoring 350 or they restrict Bangladesh to 84 runs after scoring 400, which, according to former Pakistani cricketer Ramiz Raja, would be a herculean task to achieve. While, Pakistan will have no chance to qualify, if Bangladesh bat first.
Realising the fact that Pakistan have left with no chance to cruise through into semis, Ramiz Raja and former fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar have lashed out at the team for underperforming in crucial matches.
“You need to cast out the tag of ‘unpredictable’ and play like a champion all along, specially in the World Cup matches you need to give regular performance. Winning two matches and losing one then losing two and winning one cannot make you a champion material on this stage where every single match counts,” said Ramiz Raja.
He suggested the Pakistan Cricket Board to make major reshuffling in team for improvement.
Shoaib suspects NZ’s approach towards England match
Interestingly, Shoaib Akhtar has raised questions on approach of New Zealand for the game against England, however he refrained from speaking up until he finds “something concrete” in this regard. England defeated New Zealand by 119 runs to book semifinal berth.
He termed defeat against West Indies and Australia as a turning point for Pakistan. “Nobody but Pakistan are to blame for this,” he said adding that Pakistan should play their best against Bangladesh to avoid further humiliation.
“We cannot continue to play with this mindset and this scared team. You need daring players who can play upfront which used to be the character of the Pakistani cricket team,” he said.
Talking about three Powerplays, Shoaib recommended that the International Cricket Council should rescind this rule for the sake of quality cricket.
Pakistan will lock horns with Bangladesh on Friday. In current situation, the match will be a dead rubber as it is not going to help either side in their World Cup pursuit.
