Even though Pakistan holds onto the belief that “miracles can happen” at the grand stage of the ICC World Cup, their chances of securing a spot in the business end of the tournament in India seem unlikely. After suffering a heart-wrenching defeat at the hands of South Africa, Pakistan’s hopes of advancing to the next stage hang by a thread.
Battling for Survival
Currently sitting in sixth place, Pakistan finds itself on level points with Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and the Netherlands in the World Cup standings. Despite a promising start with a win over the Netherlands and a historic run-chase against Sri Lanka, Pakistan’s World Cup campaign took a downward turn with consecutive losses. A high-voltage clash with Rohit Sharma’s Team India resulted in a crushing defeat, followed by a thrashing from Australia in the round-robin phase. The humiliation continued as Afghanistan clinched their first-ever victory over Pakistan in the 50-over format. As it stands, Pakistan trails fourth-placed Australia and New Zealand by four points and is six points behind both second-placed South Africa and table-toppers India.
Pay Disputes Add to the Woes
Speaking about Pakistan’s poor performance, journalist Shahid Hashmi revealed a concerning issue within the team. He claimed that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had not paid the players for five months, which affected their mindset during the World Cup. Hashmi expressed his confusion as to why the PCB had failed to settle the players’ payments despite announcing the central contract after the Asia Cup. Babar Azam, the team’s captain, emerged as the most vocal complainer, but his telephone calls to PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf went unanswered.
Captaincy in Question
Reports suggest that Sarfaraz Ahmed, Muhammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Shah Afridi are the top contenders to replace Babar as Pakistan’s captain after the ICC World Cup. Babar, who has scored 207 runs for Pakistan at the showpiece event in India, averaging 34.50, seems to have lost favor with most of the team. The team management is likely to recommend a replacement for Babar as captain across all three formats, given Pakistan’s upcoming tough Test series against Australia. Reports indicate that Babar had been indifferent to the team management’s instructions and failed to execute their plans.
Tough Road Ahead
In their quest to keep their World Cup hopes alive, Pakistan faces tough challenges ahead. They are set to face England, New Zealand, and Bangladesh in their upcoming encounters at the ICC World Cup. With a limited margin for error, Pakistan must put their best foot forward to seize any chance of advancing further in the tournament.
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