Renowned cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle took a dig at Pakistan Cricket over their changes in administration staff in frequent intervals after the team’s fourth consecutive loss in the ODI World Cup 2023 in India.
At the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Friday, Pakistan lost to South Africa in their fourth straight World Cup match. In a thrilling match finale, Babar Azam and company struck 270, while Proteas chased down the target with one wicket in hand. The Men in Green have only four points in their account after six tournament games. They won their first two games, but they haven’t won since.
Speaking on Cricbuzz, Harsha Bhogle believes the Pakistan Cricket Board‘s frequent rotation of chairmen, including Zaka Ashraf, Najam Sethi, and Ramiz Raja, has made the organization appear comical.
“There is nothing more comical than the people running Pakistan cricket right now. Zaka Ashraf wants to change what Najam Sethi did. Najam Sethi wants to change what Ramiz Raja did. Najam Sethi runs PCB on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Zaka Ashraf runs PCB on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. And on Sunday, it is a debate on what it should be the next week,” Harsha Bhogle said.
Although it appears doubtful that Pakistan would place among the top four teams in the 2023 World Cup points standings, Babar Azam’s team could theoretically get to the semifinals. Pakistan must first win their final three games against Bangladesh, New Zealand, and England in order for it to occur, and would be hopeful if a few results work in their favour.
Pakistan Struggled Against New Zealand’s B Team Too – Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik, the veteran Indian wicket-keeper batter, has stated that Pakistan’s becoming the No.1 ranked ODI cricket team in the world was due to their performances against weaker teams before the marquee event. He also highlighted that the Babar Azam-led side has struggled against stronger teams.
“They played New Zealand when half of Kiwi players were in IPL. They have been playing some ordinary teams and not full-strength sides. Hence their ranking went to No. 1. But they struggled against New Zealand’s B team too. In the end, they managed to win the series, but it was a convincing win. So you can see why they are struggling,” Dinesh Karthik said.
In order to increase their net run rate, Pakistan will need to win all three of their remaining games, most likely by a substantial margin and the Men in Green will take on out-of-form Bangladesh on the next encounter on October 31st and they will look to turn things to return to winning ways in the marquee event.
