Pakistan have lost the aura of their unpredictability somewhat in this World Cup, thanks to their mundane offerings. They have beaten the Netherlands, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, but have lost against the stronger teams — there has been a pattern to Pakistan’s performances.
It will be up to Babar Azam’s men to break that monotony when they face New Zealand in Bangalore on Saturday. They hardly have a choice though. Struggling in the middle of the table as the race for the semis gets intense, they can’t afford to lose. New Zealand have 8 points to Pakistan’s 6 and if the Black Caps win on Saturday, it will almost be curtains for Babar’s men.
Pakistan can gather confidence from the fact that New Zealand are in a battered and bruised state. As if the humiliating loss against South Africa in their last game was not enough, the Kiwis are hamstrung with injuries to key players.
Regular captain Kane Williamson has long been restricted to the bench, while Mark Chapman (calf) and Lockie Ferguson (Achilles) are also nursing injuries. To make it even worse, first-team pacer Matt Henry has been ruled out of the World Cup with a torn right hamstring.
Henry has been replaced in the squad by Kyle Jamieson.
“Matt’s been a crucial part of our one-day side for a long time and to see him ruled out as we reach the business end of this tournament is immensely disappointing,” coach Gary Stead said.
Pakistan are not worry-free in terms of fitness either.
All-rounder Shadab Khan is doubtful for the match after suffering a concussion in their last game.
Whatever XI Pakistan field, they have to deliver. They can be quite dangerous when they are desperate — they almost pulled it off against the Proteas before crushing Bangladesh — and will be ready to pounce on the Kiwis.
Will Pakistan stay in contention for the semis with a powerful performance? Or will they be stuck in mediocrity once again?
Pak were Saudi eyes ‘below par’
Bangalore: Pakistan’s chances of entering the World Cup semi-finals hang by a thread, and director of cricket Mickey Arthur on Friday termed his side’s performance well below par.
“I’ll be brutally honest. I don’t think we’ve played to our full potential in this tournament. I thought the Bangladesh game (on October 31) is the first game where we actually put a complete game together. I just hope that’s not too late for us,” Arthur said at a pre-match press conference.
Arthur said not being able to strike a balance between batting, bowling and fielding has been the bane of Pakistan.
“We batted beautifully, bowled beautifully, and fielded beautifully (against Bangladesh), which in all the other games, we’ve done in one or two disciplines, but our other disciplines let us down.”
PTI
