"Hurt" Babar Azam's Honest Admission As Afghanistan Stun Pakistan In Cricket World Cup 2023

24.10.2023 - 05:55 sports.ndtv.com

Visibly shaken Pakistan captain Babar Azam admitted "we are hurt" after his team was stunned in an eight-wicket defeat by Afghanistan at the World Cup on Monday which put their semi-finals hopes in peril.

Afghanistan achieved their first-ever one-day victory over Pakistan in eight attempts as they chased down a 283-run target with an over to spare.

Ibrahim Zadran hit a brilliant 113-ball 87 while fellow opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz made a 53-ball 65 to build a strong platform, putting on 130 for the first wicket.

Rahmat Shah's unbeaten 84-ball 77 and skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi's 48 not out sealed victory against a sloppy Pakistan team. "We are hurt as a team," said Azam whose side now have three defeats and two wins in five matches.

cricket Pakistan Cricket Team World Cup 2023 cup as Babar Azam Hashmatullah Shahidi Ibrahim Zadran South Africa Afghanistan Pakistan

Pakistan captain Babar Azam said he is thankful for the love and support shown by the Indian fans during the ongoing Cricket World Cup. Babar landed in India for the first time in September this year, hoping to lead his team to World Cup glory. However, not much has gone their way in the tournament, with Pakistan staring at an early exit from the World Cup. In eight matches, Babar has scored just 282 runs with the help of four half-centuries. However, he has not been able to inspire his team as he would've loved to.

"We Have A Plan": Babar Azam's Clear Take On Pakistan's Cricket World Cup 2023 Semis Scenarios

Pakistan cricket team skipper Babar Azam said on Friday that the team is aware of the improbable scenarios that can lead to their qualification for the Cricket World Cup 2023 semi-finals and they have already formulated a plan in accordance to the situations. Following New Zealand's huge win over Sri Lanka on Thursday, Pakistan will now have to win by more than 287 runs if they bat first and in case of a chase, they need to complete it with 284 balls to spare. While the situation is heavily against the 1992 champions, Babar maintained that 'anything can happen' in the game of cricket.

Pakistan's Predicted XI vs England, Cricket World Cup 2023: Will Babar Azam And Co Stick To Winning Combination?

Pakistan will go up against England in their final ICC World Cup 2023 league phase match on Saturday, November 11. Eden Gardens in Kolkata will host this fixture, scheduled to start at 2:00 PM IST. With four wins and four defeats in eight matches, Pakistan's semi-final qualification chances hang in balance. They need to win the upcoming match and hope for favourable results elsewhere to make it to the last four. In their previous match, the Babar Azam-led side defeated New Zealand by 21 runs (DLS method) to keep their semis dream alive.

"Easy To Give Opinion On TV": Babar Azam Hits Back At Criticism During Cricket World Cup 2023

Hitting back at critics for questioning his leadership skills, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam on Friday said it's easy to give opinion on TV and asserted that captaincy had no adverse impact on his batting in the Cricket World Cup 2023. Azam has been in the eye of storm after their embarrassing eight-wicket defeat against Afghanistan and for failing to defend 271 against South Africa, who they had reduced to 260/9. Former skippers including Moin Khan and Shoaib Malik have openly criticised Babar's captaincy on air and felt that the burden of leadership has affected his batting.

South Africa vs Afghanistan Live Score, Cricket World Cup 2023: Unchanged Afghanistan Opt To Bat vs South Africa

SA vs AFG, Cricket World Cup Live: South Africa look to bounce back from the humbling they suffered against India as they take on Afghanistan in their Cricket World Cup match in Ahmedabad. While the Proteas have already qualified for the semi-finals, Afghanistan need a 438-run win against South Africa to push New Zealand out of fourth place on net run rate, which seems highly unlikely. The Proteas will take on Australia in the second semi-final next Thursday, with India most likely to square against either New Zealand or Pakistan on Wednesday. (Live Scorecard | Points Table)

'Give Same Pakistan Team to MS Dhoni': Ex-India Batter's Hilarious Criticism Of Babar Azam's Captaincy At Cricket World Cup 2023

Pakistan are not having an ideal ODI Cricket World Cup campaign as the 1992 champions lost four out of their eight matches and are on the brink of elimination. With only one match remaining in their league stage, Pakistan will be giving their best efforts to clinch a big victory against England, who are already out of the contention. Due to the team's dismal show at the World Cup, skipper Babar Azam has been receiving a lot of backlash as many former cricketers have criticised him for his poor captaincy. Apart from leading, Babar's performance with the bat has also not been up to the mark.