ICC World Cup | What went wrong for Pakistan national cricket team
The Hindu
Pakistan's World Cup hopes hang in balance due to bowling woes, captaincy questions, and PCB instability. Naseem's injury, Shaheen's lack of early impact, Haris' runs conceded, spinners' lack of bite, Babar's captaincy, selection favouritism, security restrictions, and frequent PCB changes have all contributed.
Pakistan’s chances of making the semifinals of the Cricket World Cup are on a knife-edge after their eight-wicket defeat to Afghanistan.
It was the team’s third successive loss at the tournament after two opening wins.
AFP Sport looks at three problem areas for Babar Azam’s faltering team:
Pakistan’s bowling was touted as world class before the Asia Cup and when they restricted a strong India side to 266 all out in a washed out game at Pallekele, commentators saw it as a major warning to World Cup rivals.
But two weeks before the showpiece event, key fast bowler Naseem Shah was ruled out with a shoulder injury.
Spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi has 10 wickets in five games in India but has failed to make an early impact — his 2-36 against India and 5-54 facing Australia came in losing causes. In the opening wins over Netherlands and Sri Lanka, he managed two wickets at a combined cost of 103 runs.
Haris Rauf has leaked runs, conceding 286 in five games for eight wickets while the spinners have lacked bite on the slow and turning pitches of India. Shadab Khan, Usama Mir, Mohammad Nawaz and Iftikhar Ahmed have just six wickets in five matches between them, conceding 502 runs.
Asian Games champion Avinash Sable opened his season in the 3000m steeple chase with a silver in the Portland Track Festival, a World Athletics Continental Tour bronze event, in Oregon on Saturday. He clocked 8:21.85s. Asian champion Parul Chaudhary took the bronze in the women’s 3000m steeple chase in a season-best 9:31.38s. Former Asian bronze medallist Sanjivani Jadhav struck gold in the women’s 10,000m in 32:22.77s, a time which was a second off her personal best, while Seema was sixth in 32:55.91s.