'Only Fakhar Zaman played modern-day cricket in World Cup'
- By Web Desk -
- Nov 10, 2023
Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali became the centre of attention with his Green Shirts’ approach towards ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 fixtures in India.
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It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan’s chances of reaching the knockout stages of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 suffered a heavy blow after New Zealand’s five-wicket victory over Sri Lanka.
The side’s final round-robin stage fixture is against England, who have already been eliminated and will be playing to keep their chances of qualifying for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 alive.
To qualify for the semifinal stage, Pakistan has to beat England by 287 runs and have to chase the target – whatever it is – in 16 balls.
Amid the criticism on the Pakistan team during the tournament, Basit Ali has shared his views about their performances.
The former batter said no member of the 15-man squad played modern-day cricket except for batter Fakhar Zaman. It is pertinent to mention that the opening batter cracked an aggressive 81-ball 126 not out to guide Pakistan to 200-1 which gave them a 21-run win on the DLS method after rain ended the match after 25.3 overs.
Related – Fakhar Zaman reveals Pakistan’s plan against New Zealand in ICC Cricket World Cup 2023
He claimed that Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka only because their bowling attack was weak.
He lamented about the side losing to host and arch-rivals India by a big defeat and going down to Australia when they were on the cusp of victory.
He hit out at the side being unable to play its full quota of 50 overs against South Africa.
Basit Ali questioned pacer Haris Rauf being part of the 15-man regular squad instead of spinner Abrar Ahmed. According to the former, the fast bowler is a T20I specialist and would be taken to the cleaners if made to play 50-over matches.
Related – “We are not too worried,” says Haris Rauf
He said Pakistan would continue to give disappointing performances if the players get picked based on friendship rather than for making the country proud by winning championships.
Former wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal, adding to Basit Ali’s statements, said Pakistan looked satisfied by scoring 280 when other sides were posting 400-plus totals. He went on to say that Green Shirts’ biggest flaw is they strategize by each game instead of the entire tournament.
Prolific sports journalist Shahid Hashmi, who is fulfilling professional duties in India, said Pakistan’s loss to South Africa is the one that hurts the most. He claimed that Pakistan captain Babar Azam should have gone for the kill when they needed two wickets to win.
He said Pakistan would have qualified for the tournament if they opted for an attacking strategy in that match.