by: Atika Mehboob TN Sport Pakistan:
Former West Indies cricket legend, Sir Vivian Richards, expressed his disappointment at Pakistan’s struggle to secure a place in the semi-finals of the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023 in India. In a recent column for the International Cricket Council (ICC), Richards highlighted that despite possessing exceptional talent, the Pakistani team has made their journey in the tournament unnecessarily challenging.
Richards emphasized that, given the talent at Pakistan’s disposal, they should have already secured a spot in the semi-finals. He noted that, through his coaching work in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), he has witnessed the abundance of talent in the squad. Richards believes that the team is more talented than their current position in the table suggests and that they can beat the best teams on any given day.
“I can’t help thinking that with the talent they have, they should have already sealed their spot. I have seen up close in recent years through my coaching work [Pakistan Super League] how much ability exists in that squad, but they have made life hard for themselves – I think they are a more talented squad than their place in the table would suggest. They can beat the very best on their day, so there may be some punches left in that team,” said Richards.
The Men in Green face a crucial final World Cup group fixture against England on Saturday, where they need a significant victory to have any chance of qualifying for the semi-finals. As of now, Pakistan is in fifth place in the table with eight points and a net run rate of +0.036.
They would need to beat England by around 287 runs while batting first or by about 284 balls to spare while chasing the target. After New Zealand’s win over Sri Lanka, they currently hold the fourth and final knockout berth with 10 points and a net run rate of +0.743.
