With a limited number of matches remaining in the group stage, Pakistan now faces a substantial challenge in securing a berth in the knockout stage.
Pakistan’s World Cup aspirations were dealt a major blow as they suffered a narrow one-wicket defeat against South Africa at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday (October 27) in the ongoing 2023 ODI World Cup.
Former Pakistan cricketer Ramiz Raja expressed his frustration with skipper Babar Azam, noting the captain’s struggle to convert promising starts into substantial scores. While Ramiz Raja did not explicitly mention Babar Azam, it was evident he was referring to the Pakistan skipper, who managed to secure two fifties but fell short of a century.
“The one who gets out after completing his fifty, give him the last warning for next match that if you repeat the same pattern, there is no space in team for you. Because he consumes the overs, spend the time on wicket, balance the innings but then destroy it completely as well,” Ramiz said.
“Moving forward, we need a DNA alteration of the team. We need more T20 players in the ODI team. We need to change the mood of the team and we need more speed. We must improve our fielding and bowling with the new ball has scope for improvement as well,” he added.
Babar, a pivotal figure for Pakistan with the bat, displayed resilience by crafting a hard-fought 50 off 65 balls against South Africa and played a crucial role to steady the innings. However, his inability to build on this solid foundation raised pertinent questions.
Furthermore, Azam’s strike rate of 76.92 in the match has come under scrutiny, with some suggesting that he could have pressed on to accelerate the scoring.
This defeat marks Pakistan’s fourth loss in the tournament, placing their campaign in a precarious position. With a limited number of matches remaining in the group stage, Pakistan now faces a substantial challenge in securing a berth in the knockout stage.
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Need DNA alteration, need T20 players in ODIs and anyone who gets out after scoring a 50 should be dropped after a warning – Ramiz Raja pic.twitter.com/baU6SBKeUW
— Ghumman (@emclub77) October 27, 2023
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