Former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan admitted that the Pakistan team didn’t perform to their expectations in the ongoing ODI World Cup and expressed his disappointment in failing to play the brand of cricket they desired at the major tournament.
As Pakistan prepares for their final league match against England in Kolkata, they run the risk of losing out on the semi-final race. If Pakistan wants to pass New Zealand and secure the fourth position, they must defeat England by a minimum of 287 runs in their last league match, which could be quite impossible for the team in the marquee event
Speaking to the ICC, Mohammad Rizwan expressed his disappointment with their team’s performance in the ongoing ODI World Cup and feels that the team has underperformed to their ability in the tournament and claimed that their one significant match was against Bangladesh, but it was too late.
“If I am being honest, our team’s performance hasn’t lived up to our own expectations or our countrymen’s in this tournament. We have not been able to play that kind of quality cricket. That’s the reality. And that’s why we ended up in a situation where we need other results to go our way,” Mohammad Rizwan said.
“In the context of this World Cup, I think the Bangladesh match was the only game where all our three departments fired together and we won that match easily. In the last 2-3 years, we have generally done well. Because of those results, our countrymen have given us a lot of love and support,” Mohammad Rizwan added.
Pakistan won both of their opening games in the competition, including a World Cup record chase in Hyderabad against Sri Lanka but the defeat against India has turned the fortunes for the Men In Green, as they went to lose a record four games on a trot before getting their track back with victory over Bangladesh and New Zealand.
The South Africa Game Was The Turning Point – Mohammad Rizwan
Mohammad Rizwan said that the heartbreaking defeat to South Africa motivated them to perform better rather than making them depressed. Pakistan nearly held South Africa to 270 runs in one of the most exciting World Cup 2023 matches in Chennai but lost the game by a wicket.
“The South Africa game was the turning point. The momentum we got after that game was just fantastic. mean, yes, we defeated New Zealand, but the momentum we got was after the South Africa game,” Mohammad Rizwan further added.
Pakistan have not won the World Cup since clinching their maiden title way back in 1992. Since then, they have made it to the final just once in 1999. Babar Azam-led side entered the tournament as one of the favourites for the title given their white-ball form coming into the tournament but failed miserably to make an impact.