Follow UsPakistan threw their first ICC home tournament after 1996 into jeopardy by losing two of their three league stage games on the trot, and are on the verge of making an early exit.
After losing their first group fixture against New Zealand by 60 runs, Pakistan looked lacklustre against arch-rivals India in Dubai and lost the game by six wickets despite winning the toss.
They could score only 241 runs in the first innings and were all out with two deliveries remaining in the stipulated 50 overs. Meanwhile, India trotted along to the target with ease, with Virat Kohli leading from the front and scoring his 51st ODI century in the process.
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After the defeat, skipper Mohammad Rizwan proclaimed in the press conference that despite a mathematical chance of Pakistan qualifying even after losing two of their three games, Pakistan’s tournament was over for him because he didn’t want to rely on other teams for qualification.
“For now, we can say that it's over,” Rizwan said about Pakistan’s tournament.
“This is the truth. In the next match, we'll see what Bangladesh does with New Zealand, what New Zealand does with India, and what we do. It's a long journey.
“Yes, we have hope and belief in Allah. Our dependence on champion traffic has now come on other teams. And as a captain, I honestly don't like this. If you can win, then do it. If you can't, then don't worry about it. I don't care if you are sitting in someone else's shadow. I don't care if you are outside the tournament or in it.
“Yes, they have defeated us. New Zealand has defeated us; India has defeated us. We accept it. We can play well; we can play badly. We can't say that we should stay on someone else's side. Allah has made this a chance, we can't say anything about it.”
Pakistan will be looking closely at the Bangladesh—New Zealand game today. If New Zealand win, the home team will be the first to be officially eliminated from the tournament.