Indian wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik has analyzed Pakistan’s poor performance in the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023 and identified two Men In Green players as the biggest disappointments on the squad which has affected their chance to qualify for the Semifinals of the marquee event.
Following New Zealand’s Kane Williamson team’s thumping of Sri Lanka in the ICC World Cup final round-robin stage in India on Thursday, the Pakistan team is in danger of having to withdraw early from the 2023 competition. The Men in Green’s victory record and biggest win over England would have only placed them ahead of New Zealand in terms of Net-Run-Rate (NRR).
In a recent interview with Cricbuzz, Dinesh Karthik emphasized the distinctive pattern that the Pakistan cricket team uses. He conceded that it doesn’t always mean their plan isn’t sound and even though it can differ from that of teams like Australia or England. However, he also drew attention to what he believed to be a significant contributing factor to Pakistan’s issues: their subpar ball-handling skills.
“They have a template which is not probably followed by the other teams like in Australia or England but it doesn’t mean they have a bad template, what was happening is their lack of form with the ball showed”.
“Haris Rauf was a massive miss for them, he was somebody who was touted to be the most important bowler who could bowl through the middle overs, pick up wickets, and at the death, but he leaked a lot of runs in his first and second spell and then it was Shadab Khan, he was the biggest miss for them in this tournament, just couldn’t pick up wickets, was a pale shadow of his past and that really showed why Pakistan struggled,” Dinesh Karthik said.
In the white-ball format of the game, Shadab Khan has been the best leg-spinner and an all-around performer for the side. While Pakistani pacer Haris Rauf has undoubtedly developed into one of the game’s most improved fast bowlers in the last 18 months, both have failed to make an impactful performance for their side in the ongoing mega event.
The Men in Green, who have four wins and four losses, are currently ranked fifth in the mega-event points table. To advance to the semi-final round, they must defeat England by either 287 runs when batting first or 284 balls remaining when chasing the target to overcome the net run rate of the New Zealand team.
