Follow UsPakistan registered a big win over Bangladesh in Kolkata on Tuesday (October 31), breaking their four-match losing streak in the 2023 World Cup. Despite the all-important victory, Pakistan don’t only have to win their remaining two games against New Zealand and England but will also need a couple of results to go in their favour if they want to qualify for the semis.
Pakistan bundled out Bangladesh for just 204 and then chased it down with more than 17 overs to spare. Playing his second game of the World Cup, Fakhar Zaman slammed 81 off 74, while his opening partner Abdullah Shafique also scored 68 off 69 deliveries. Fakhar could have easily played for his century but the left-hander was more focused on finishing the game as soon as possible.
“In the World Cup, each win gives you confidence and we were waiting for this win. We are on the ifs and buts right now - but we will try to win both matches with good run rates. Our target is the semi-final and we will try for that,” said Fakhar.
“The situation we are in at the moment, we were looking to chase it like in 28, 29 overs, so that's why I was just going. Otherwise, it was very easy for me to get to the 100 after 50, but our goal was to achieve the target within like 30 or 29 overs.”
This was a near-perfect game for Pakistan, starting with Shaheen Afridi striking twice with the new ball. Talking about why Pakistan's fast bowlers have struggled in the tournament, Fakhar said: “Here, our fast bowlers are trying to have more accuracy. In Pakistan, when you use more pace, you get more success. Here, if you bowl more accurately, they will score less.”
Fakhar said his injury wasn’t too severe and wants to have a big impact in the last two games. “My injury was such that I could have played any time. If the team needed me, I could have joined at any time. I didn’t have a severe injury. We were just taking a precaution.
“The way I was batting in the nets, you get the idea that the ball is coming well. And if I tell you the truth, the way India's wickets are, for batsmen, if they play three or four overs, I think it's easy to make runs. The boundaries are also not that big.”