To qualify for the semifinals of the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup, Pakistan faces a near-impossible task of beating England by 287 runs at the Eden Gardens on Saturday. Captain Babar Azam stated that his team will attempt to achieve this challenging target.
Interestingly, in the 2019 Men’s ODI World Cup in England, Pakistan needed to beat Bangladesh by nearly 316 runs at Lord's to surpass New Zealand on Net Run Rate and secure a spot in the semifinals. Despite winning the match, the margin wasn't sufficient to advance to the knockout stage.
“It's in our mind and we will try to do it. We will try to execute our plans how we will go tomorrow and how we will achieve the target. 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 – how we have to achieve that target.”
“There are a lot of things in this, like a partnership, which player will stay at the pitch for how long. If you ask me, I would say if Fakhar 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,” said Babar in the pre-match press conference.
The hopes of Pakistan qualifying for the semifinals face a potential setback if they are made to bowl first. Captain Babar Azam acknowledged that the loss to South Africa by one wicket in Chennai was a match they should have won, underscoring the significance of missed opportunities in the tournament.
“I think there is one match left. You never know. It's cricket - we will try to finish on a good note and then see. I think the South African match cost us and we should have won that match, but unfortunately, we didn't win that because of which we are at this stage.”
Pakistan's inconsistent performance in the tournament has led to significant media scrutiny of Captain Babar Azam's leadership. The team's potential exit from the World Cup adds further speculation to Azam's future as captain. Despite the external noise, the right-handed batter maintained that it has not affected him, emphasizing his focus on the team's performance.
“I have been captaining my team for the last three years and I have never felt this way. It’s just because I have not performed the way I should have in the World Cup, that’s why people are saying that I am under pressure - I am under no pressure.”
“I have been doing this for the last 2.5 or 3 years. I was the one who was performing and I was the one who was the captain. I was applying the same thing. It depends on how you take such a thing. Everyone has their own point of view and their own way of thinking. Everyone is saying something different.”
“He should be like this, or like that. If someone has to give me advice, everyone has my number. It is easy to advise on TV. If you want to give me some advice, you can message me. I don't think I was under any pressure or felt any different because of this. I try to give my best in the field during the fielding. During batting, I think about how I should make runs and make the team win.”
Babar Azam signed off by stating that his current focus is on Saturday's crucial game rather than contemplating his future as the captain of Pakistan. He emphasized that decisions regarding captaincy will be considered once the team returns to Pakistan or after the upcoming match. For now, Azam is solely concentrating on the task at hand.
(With Agency Inputs)
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