Pakistan Openers against Australia. (Photo Source: R.SATISH BABU/AFP via Getty Images)
In the 22nd match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, Pakistan faced Afghanistan. Pakistan, having won the toss, decided to start their innings with the bat. As the openers began steadily during the powerplay, Abdullah Shafique made an impressive move by hitting a six off a delivery from Mujeeb Ur Rahman, sending the ball sailing over long off. This particular six marked Pakistan’s first powerplay boundary after a long and challenging gap of 1168 balls.
During the ODI World Cup 2023 match against Australia at the compact Bengaluru stadium, Pakistan found it challenging to strike many sixes, especially when compared to the Australian batters. Pakistan faced difficulties in clearing the boundaries, and notably, they couldn’t manage a single six during the powerplay overs while chasing a target of 368 runs.
In the lead-up to the match against Afghanistan on October 23, Pakistani opener Imam Ul Haq made an unusual comment regarding the absence of sixes, attributing it to their diet. Imam stated, “We’ve to eat more protein instead of carbs to start hitting some sixes.” Following this statement, Pakistani fans on social media heavily criticized and mocked him.
How can Pakistan still make it to the semi-finals?
A significant concern for Pakistan is their notably dismal net run rate, which plummeted to -0.456 following today’s match. Despite their commendable effort with the bat, where they managed to breach the 300-run mark, they fell short by a considerable margin. Nonetheless, Pakistan can still remain optimistic as the competition for the third and fourth positions in the standings remains highly competitive.
With no team except the top two having accumulated more points than them. In the end, it’s probable that a team will need six victories (equivalent to 12 points) to secure a spot in the semi-finals unless weather disruptions influence the tournament. The 1992 champions still have the opportunity to reach this target if they emerge victorious in four out of their remaining five matches.
Pakistan face challenges against Afghanistan, Bangladesh, South Africa, New Zealand, and England. Although there are no straightforward fixtures, Babar Azam’s team is confident in securing four victories. Beating South Africa and England can influence their rivals’ knockout prospects.