Pakistan’s optional nets session at Eden Gardens had an unexpected visitor on Friday.
Former captain and Board chairman Ramiz Raja walked in barely minutes before the players were ready to wind up. In the city as part of the commentary team, Ramiz spent close to 15 minutes with captain Babar Azam.
The discussion could have bordered on the dos and don’ts even as Pakistan have little realistic chance of making it to the semi-finals.
They find themselves in a similar situation as in the last edition where they had to win their final league game by a 316-run margin to pip New Zealand on net-run rate (NRR) and make the semi-final. New Zealand went on to finish runners-up.
This time Pakistan have to beat England by 287 runs, or, if they are chasing, have to reach the target with 284 balls to spare to finish ahead of New Zealand on NRR.
“It’s in our mind, and we will try to do it,” Babar insisted on Friday. “We will try to execute our plans of how we will achieve the target.”
Babar said they weren’t losing hope. “We can’t just go in and start firing blindly... we want that but with proper planning, how we want to play the first 10 overs, then the next 20 to achieve that target,” Babar said.
“There are a lot of things in this, like partnership, which player will stay on the pitch for how long. If you ask me, I would say if Fakhar (Zaman) is in the match for 20 or 30 overs, we can achieve that. Then follow up with Rizwan, Iftikhar. We can do this and we have planned for this.”
However, their chances will be eliminated if they are asked to bowl first by England. The chase to finish their NRR above New Zealand would then be almost impossible even if they manage to restrict England below 100.
While Pakistan’s travails in the World Cup aren’t unexpected given their inconsistent record, England’s near disaster has still remained a mystery. Jos Buttler’s team are in a fight to keep themselves afloat for a Champions Trophy 2025 berth and only a victory can take them a step closer.
England have to beat Pakistan and hope at least one of Bangladesh or Netherlands lose their final game to finish in the top seven. If England lose to Pakistan
and both Bangladesh and Netherlands win their respective final matches, England cannot qualify.
“There’s massive disappointment and regret from us all that we haven’t been able to perform as well as we would have as a team. We’d have loved to have been here at the business end and replicating what that fantastic team did in 2019...
“But it just hasn’t been and I think as a group reflecting on it, we’re extremely disappointed with that,” was Dawid Malan’s candid admission.
This match could also be the last for a few of England’s golden generation — Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes.
Earning a Champions Trophy berth could still motivate this bunch and leave with some pride.
“We still have a lot to play for, we still have Champions Trophy,” Malan said.
