Pakistan were hoping for a collapse when New Zealand faced Sri Lanka on 9 November. The weather forecast for Bengaluru was also encouraging for them. New Zealand’s failure to reach 10 points meant a smoother ride for the Men in Green. However, nothing of the sort happened.
New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by five wickets, boosting their chances of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals. Trent Boult’s brilliant bowling helped limit Sri Lanka to 170 runs. A strong start by Devon Conway and Rashin Ravindra made chasing that score easier.
Now, for Pakistan to advance, they must secure a decisive victory over England. How decisively? Well, according to rough estimates, they need to win by 287 runs if they bat first or reach their target with 284 balls remaining if they are chasing.
Can Pakistan still qualify for the semi-finals? When this question appeared on the cricket show – The Pavilion – on A Sports, Pakistani legends like Wasim Akram, Moin Khan, Misbah ul-Haq and Shoaib Malik gave funny responses while laughing in disappointment.
It’s still “mathematically” possible, Waseem quipped. Host Fakhr Alam reminded the committee of the advice given by Sultan Al-Tawjih earlier. The legendary fast bowler said that the Pakistan team should bat first and shut down the England team at number one. Their dressing room. Babar Azam’s boys could win as England will be ‘out of time’.
Earlier, when Fakhr explained the science of probability and the “mathematical” equations for Pakistan’s chance of reaching the semi-finals, Moin Khan said: “Should I take it as a no? (To phir main naa hi samjhu?)”
The “best” solution for Misbah-ul-Haq
Misbah ul Haq responded to Waseem Akram’s solution. However, he had a better solution for Pakistan. He suggested that there was no need to bat first. Pakistan must trap England at the start to save the hard work.
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Updated: November 10, 2023, 12:19 PM IST
