"Keep Believing Pakistan": Michael Vaughan Trolls Babar Azam And Co. Over Their Semi-Final Hopes

11.11.2023 - 05:41 sports.ndtv.com

Pakistan will be needing a miracle to make it to the semi-finals of Cricket World Cup 2023 when they face a charged-up England at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Saturday.

New Zealand's net run-rate boosting five wicket-win over Sri Lanka on Thursday has virtually shattered Pakistan's semifinal hopes.

The 1992 champions now have to beat England by an improbable margin to make it to the knockout round. New Zealand's NRR is +0.743 while Pakistan's is +0.036, and for the Babar Azam-led side to eclipse the former to qualify as the fourth side, it has to win by around 287 runs batting first.

While chasing, Pakistan need to win with 284 balls to spare. That is an impractical task. Former England captain Michael Vaughan took a dig at Babar Azam and company after sharing a list of permutations and combinations that Pakistan will be needing to make their nearly impossible semi-final qualification a reality. "Keep believing Pakistan ..

cricket England Cricket Team Pakistan Cricket Team World Cup 2023 Semi-final Michael Vaughan Jos Buttler Babar Azam Netherlands New Zealand Sri Lanka Bangladesh Pakistan county Garden

Known for their humorous posts on social media, Iceland Cricket have taken a fresh aim at Pakistan star batter Babar Azam, who recently stepped down as captain of the team across formats. Babar relinquished his captaincy amid backlash over Pakistan's early exit from the Cricket World Cup 2023. Babar had a below par tournament with the bat as Pakistan failed to qualify for the semi-finals. He scored 320 runs in the nine matches, averaging less than 40. Taking to social media platform X, Iceland Cricket trolled Babar over his average.

Watch: Babar Azam Chases Mohammad Rizwan With Bat In Hand After Pakistan Star Does This

A funny video of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan is going viral on social media. In the clip, Babar could be seen leaving his crease after a ball was delivered. Wicketkeeper Rizwan throws the ball on the stumps after collection and appeals for a run-out from the leg umpire. The follow-up sees Babar running funnily towards Rizwan in a bid to hit the wicketkeeper with his bat. As Rizwan runs behind the stumps to save himself, Babar chases the player, giving rise to a hilarious scene.

"Typical Of Pakistan": Australia Great's Blunt Take On Captaincy Change, Babar Azam

Former Australia captain Ian Chappell has criticised the Pakistan cricket team over Babar Azam stepping down as the captain of the side following the Asian team's Cricket World Cup 2023 debacle. Babar stepped down from his role in mid November. Pakistan lost five out of their nine matches at the mega event and failed to qualify for the semifinals. Babar came under a lot of pressure from both experts and fans regarding his captaincy and his lack of form with the bat did not help the matter. Shan Masood was appointed Test captain while Shaheen Afridi took over as the T20I captain.

Who Can Break Virat Kohli's 50 ODI Tons Record? Ex-Pakistan Star Says Babar Azam And...

Days after Virat Kohli reached the milestone of 50 ODI centuries, former Pakistan cricketer Kamran Akmal said that Babar Azam could break the star Indian player's record. Speaking on a Pakistani news channel 'ARY News', Akmal said that only the top three batters can break the record of 50 ODI centuries and added that Babar could do it. The former Pakistan player added that Indian opener Shubman Gill can also chase the record of 50 ODI centuries.

"Prime Minister Asked Me..": Shahid Afridi On Babar Azam's Captaincy And Why He Never Backed Shaheen

After a forgettable Cricket World Cup, the Pakistan cricket team went through some big changes on Wednesday. Skipper Babar Azam resigned from his post and Shan Masood was made the Test captain while the reins of the T20I team were given to Shaheen Afridi. Pakistan lost five out of their nine matches and failed to qualify for the semifinals. Babar himself did not have a great outing in the tournament with 320 runs from 9 matches.

Pakistan Stars Divided In Reaction After Babar Azam Quits Captaincy

Babar Azam's decision to step down from Pakistan captaincy has evoked a mixed reaction from his teammates, with a few of them taking to social media to praise the 29-year-old's contributions as the leader while some others remained silent. Babar on Wednesday had announced his decision to relinquish Pakistan leadership roles across formats after the team failed to enter the semifinals of the ongoing World Cup. Pacer Naseem Shah, who had missed the marquee event with an injury, took to X to extend his support for Babar.