LONDON: Pakistan skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed admitted his team need a miracle to qualify for the World Cup semifinals as they prepare for their final league game against Bangladesh at Lord’s on Friday.
Pakistan require an outlandishly big victory but if Bangladesh bat first, their chances of catching New Zealand will be gone.
“Obviously, we are here to win all the matches,” said Sarfaraz, whose team have lost their past four one-day internationals against a fast-improving Bangladesh.
“We will do our best to win the last game as well to end on a high and we will do our best to achieve that but we need to be realistic, but if Allah helps then miracles can happen,” he said.
“It’s like you score 600, 500, 400 on a pitch then you think you can get the other team out for 50 and then win by a 316-run margin. If you think realistically, then we can only try.
“But the first real thing will be to win the match.”
Pakistan’s highest total at the tournament is the 348-8 they made in their shock win over England. The host nation’s 397-6 against Afghanistan is the best of the World Cup so far.
Sarfaraz said it had been tough to post big totals on the pitches being used in the tournament.
“If you look at the tournament then, realistically, the tournament is of 280-300 totals,” said Sarfaraz.
“If you look at the pitches, they were not for free-scoring. They were tough for batting with spin and the ball was not coming onto the bat.”
Pakistan were shot out for a paltry 105 in their first match, with the West Indies winning in just 13.4 overs, meaning they took a huge hit on run rate.
They won just one of their first five matches, coming back strongly to beat South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan to sit fifth in the 10-team table.
But England’s victory against New Zealand on Wednesday left them with a virtually impossible task.
Those two teams plus Australia and India will almost certainly be the four semifinalists.
Pakistan need World Cup miracle, admits Sarfaraz
Pakistan need World Cup miracle, admits Sarfaraz
- Pakistan require an outlandishly big victory but if Bangladesh bat first, their chances are gone
- Pakistan’s highest total at the tournament is the 348-8 they made in their shock win over England
Twice champion Naomi Osaka out of Australian Open
- Osaka said on social media that her body needed attention following her previous match against Sorana Cirstea
MELBOURNE: Twice Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka has pulled out of the Grand Slam ahead of her scheduled third round match on Saturday, citing a fitness problem.
Her opponent, Australian Maddison Inglis, has a walkover into the fourth round.
Japanese 16th seed Osaka, the 2019 and 2021 winner at Melbourne Park, said on social media that her body needed attention following her previous match against Sorana Cirstea, without elaborating on the issue.
“I’ve had to make the difficult decision to withdraw to address something my body needs attention for after my last match,” she wrote.
“I was so excited to keep going and this run meant the most to me, so having to stop here breaks my heart but I can’t risk doing any further damage so I can get back on the court.”
The pull-out is a setback for Osaka, who has been returning to her best and made the US Open semifinals last year.
At Melbourne Park, Osaka made a huge splash before her opening match against Antonia Ruzic when she entered Rod Laver Arena in a jellyfish-inspired outfit, one of the boldest fashion statements seen at a Grand Slam.
