Pakistan Can Win World Cup If Batsmen Perform, Says Viv Richards

Mar 12, 2019 at 9:56 AM

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Pakistan Can Win World Cup If Batsmen Perform, Says Viv Richards

Former Windies skipper Viv Richards believes Pakistan can go all the way in the upcoming ICC World Cup if their batsmen perform well. Pakistan’s recent track record in ODIs is far from being idle. Since winning the Champions Trophy against all the odds in 2017, the Men in Green have managed to beat just Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. They suffered a 5-0 whitewash in New Zealand last year, drew the three-match series against the Kiwis at home and performed miserably in the Asia Cup where they lost twice against India. They had also lost to Bangladesh in the competition and had failed to make it to the final.

Earlier this year, they suffered another series loss in South Africa. Not surprisingly, they are not being considered as favourites for the showpiece event in England. However, Viv Richards in of the opinion that if the Pakistani batsmen manage to compliment the talented bowlers of the team, the team can win the World Cup.

“They have the talent. I find that the bowling unit of Pakistan is very good. If the batsmen can perform to the best of their abilities then I believe Pakistan has the chance,” Viv Richards told The News.

Pakistan have the talent: Sir Viv Richards (Credits: AFP)

About Pakistan’s inconsistency in ODI cricket since winning the Champions Trophy in England, he said:

“Before they won the Champions Trophy they were inconsistent as well. It goes to show you that if these guys play together as a unit they can deliver.

Richards, who is currently in Karachi as the mentor of Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Quetta Gladiators, further said that four to five teams had the chance of winning the World Cup.

“When you take some examples from the Champions Trophy in England, India I think have been successful over the year,” he said.

“Pakistan came and showed promise and beat some of the best teams in the world. So there are a lot of teams. West Indies started to show some good promise. England always have a good team but they never came to the finish line due to certain reasons.

(Credits: AFP)

“Australia are a unit and must be respected. New Zealand could be a dark horse. There are lot of teams, about four or five who have the capability to win,” he added.

Meanwhile, hosts England will take on South Africa in the opener on May 30, 2019, at The Oval in London. The tournament will last for 45 days with 48 matches to be played.  The format for the 2019 edition will see 10 best teams in the world going head-to-head in a round-robin format. The tournament will culminate with the final at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground on July 14.

 

 

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