‘Agar Lahore airport ko rename karke semifinals rakhde’ -Fans react as Mickey Arthur remains optimistic amid Pakistan’s struggles in ODI World Cup 2023
Pakistan’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals of the Cricket World Cup were dashed yesterday after they suffered their fourth consecutive defeat, succumbing to South Africa by a narrow margin. The team had started the tournament brightly, winning their first two matches against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka. However, their fortunes have taken a turn for the worse since then, with heavy defeats to India, Australia, and Afghanistan. Yesterday’s match was a close one, with Pakistan posting a competitive score of 270 runs. However, South Africa were able to chase down the target with just one wicket to spare.
After winning the toss, Pakistan elected to bat first, but none of their batsmen were able to convert their starts into substantial scores, resulting in a below par total. This loss effectively eliminates Pakistan from the competition. The Babar Azam-led side will need to win all of their remaining three matches and hope for other results to go their way if they are to have any chance of qualifying for the knockout stage.
Pakistan’s Team Director, Mickey Arthur conceded that Pakistan were a few runs short and attributed that as the primary factor in their latest loss. “To be brutally honest, we haven’t put together the perfect game yet. We haven’t batted well enough as a unit. The par score here on this pitch was 300. I thought we bowled really well, perhaps this was our best bowling performance even but we didn’t put together enough runs on the board,” he opined.
Arthur also acknowledged the team’s numerous weaknesses, which have been revealed over the past few weeks. “We have not played well enough in the World Cup. There are holes in the team that have been exposed. If we have to come back, we need to play to our potential which we didn’t today,” Arthur said.
With the pressure mounting on the management, Pakistan will hope for a strong performance against Bangladesh on Tuesday, October 31, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, to keep their slim hopes alive.
Director still optimistic about Pakistan’s prospects
Arthur, 55 , however, refuses to despair, remaining optimistic about his team’s chances despite this setback. “You never know. What I do know is that we need to go and assess combinations again. We need to have a look at the holes we have within our team. We need to start improving in a lot of areas, and we’ve got to go home and finish this tournament with three victories. That’s what I do know”, he said whilst adressing the media after the game.
Here’s how fans reacted to Arthur’s optimism regarding Pakistan’s future in the tournament:
— $oulMate (@MatedBySoul) October 28, 2023
Yes only if they rename Lahore airport to "Semifinals".
— *Roe Joot 😎🇮🇳* (@ImGani22) October 28, 2023
Meanwhile mickey still living in la la land
— Rahul#RD (@cotiworld) October 28, 2023
Wow! This kind of (illusion) confidence we all need. Thank you Micky Arthur. Now, go ahead and sing 'Dil Dil…#PAKvSA #SAvsPAK
— RAJESH-SWD 🧑💻 (@iamrajeshjena) October 28, 2023
Kuch to sharam karle. Abhi bhi nase me he . Come to reality.
— Lalatendu Rout (@Littu85) October 28, 2023
https://twitter.com/meDeepu1/status/1718114795935944857
— 𝙕𝙄𝙈𝘽𝙐 😎 𝕏 (@Zimbu12_) October 28, 2023
True, last T20 World Cup mein they were virtually out but then Ned defeated SA and next you know Pakistan was in the finals 💀
— Baniya (@motepaisewala) October 28, 2023
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