Pakistan's horrendous ODI World Cup 2023 campaign came slightly back on track as they defeated Bangladesh on Tuesday. After facing four consecutive defeats, the Babar Azam-led side took a sigh of relief and thrashed Bangladesh by seven wickets in Kolkata. Pakistan chased down the below-par target of 205 runs in just 32.3 overs. After this loss, Bangladesh became the first team to get officially knocked out of the race to semi-finals. Pakistan, on the other hand, still have a chance to finish in the top four of the points table.
Former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram stated that after winning the match against Bangladesh, the Babar Azam-led side need to focus on winning their remaining matches as the other teams' results are not in their control.
Akram also said that the defending champions England, who are also on the verge of elimination, can be dangerous for other teams as they have "nothing to lose".
“They (Pakistan) can only do one thing. They just have to win their games and then hope and pray that other teams provide favourable results. Because those things aren't in your control. If New Zealand lose by a big margin, again, that's not in Pakistan's control. They should focus on their cricket. The next two games, against big teams,” Akram said on A Sports.
“I'm scared of England because they are out. They are going to play fearless cricket. They have nothing to lose. They will be aggressive and will intend to spoil someone's party.” he added.
Riding on Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique's half-centuries and bowlers' brilliance Pakistan registered a 7-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Tuesday.
With this brilliant victory, Pakistan broke their four-match losing streak in the ongoing tournament, moving up to 5th in the points table with 6 points. Meanwhile, the ODI World Cup semifinal dream remained unfulfilled for Bangladesh.
Openers Zaman and Shafique scored 81 and 68 respectively while Mohammad Rizwan slammed an unbeaten 26, guiding their team to a 7-wicket triumph. For Bangladesh, Mehidy Hasan Miraz bagged a three-wicket haul.
(With ANI Inputs)