Former England cricketer Nasser Hussain shared his thoughts on Pakistan’s volatile brand of cricket, recognising the team’s potential for both success and unexpected failure in the ICC events before the start of the ODI World Cup. The Men in Green will take on the Netherlands in their World Cup opener on October 6th in Hyderabad.
Babar Azam-led side has got a formidable unit to perform well in the sub-continental wickets to win the championship on Indian soil. Since claiming their first World Cup victory in 1992, Pakistan has not won the trophy in the marquee event. They have only reached the final once since, in 1999, and would be looking for their second ODI World Cup victory in India.
Speaking on his YouTube Channel, Nasser Hussain feels that Pakistan has a good team for the mega event in the country and specifically referred to Pakistan’s opening game against the Netherlands in the 2023 ODI World Cup recognising that Pakistan might suffer a loss to the European team given their unpredictability in their performance in mega events.
“I think they [Pakistan] are a very good tournament side. They have got the Netherlands up from the first game, they could lose that. That is Pakistan for you.
“But then they’ll go on a run. You look at the last World T20. They were out of it and then suddenly they were in the final. They are mercurial because that is the brand and style of cricket they play. They are incredibly watchable side,” Nasser Hussain said.
In their 1st warmup game, New Zealand chased down a total of 346 runs against Pakistan with over seven overs to spare in the game, as the Men in Green bowlers struggled to stem the run flow in the middle overs of the game. The Men in Green would look to improve their bowling performance in the ODI World Cup to give their real chance in the marquee event.
If They Get An Abouve Par Score Against You, You Are In Trouble – Nasser Hussain
Nasser Hussain feels that if Pakistan manages to score above par score against any opponent in the World Cup, they have the ability to run through the batting order of the high-quality team in the marquee event.
“If they get an above-par score against you, any team in the World Cup, you are in trouble,” Nasser Hussain added.
Pakistan will be facing another favourites Australia in their final warmup game of the ODI World Cup 2023, before their opening game against the Netherlands on October 6th in Hyderabad.
The Men in Green will look to start their World Cup campaign with victory against the less-ranked opponent to give their side much-needed momentum in the high-octane tournament.
