Mickey Arthur, the Pakistan team director, expressed optimism on Monday,placing faith in a touch of “divine help” to aid the national team in theirchallenging quest to secure a spot in the World Cup semi-finals.
Pakistan’s recent victories over Bangladesh and New Zealand, with FakharZaman making a remarkable comeback from a knee injury to score 81 and anexplosive 126 not out, have rejuvenated their campaign.
Currently, Pakistan holds eight points from as many games, necessitatingnot only a victory against England in their final match in Kolkata onSaturday but also relying on New Zealand losing to Sri Lanka in Bengalurutwo days earlier, or even hoping for a match washout.
Afghanistan also stands as a potential contender depending on the outcomesof their last two matches. Arthur, who is in his second stint in charge ofPakistan, expressed his uncertainty about the team’s fate in thecompetition but believes they have a chance to reach the semi-finals,especially with their fate in their own hands on Saturday.
He remarked, “With a bit of divine assistance, we can reach thesemi-finals, but it’s crucial that we perform well. Our perfect performanceso far was against Bangladesh.”
If Pakistan secures a spot in the semi-finals, they may set up an excitingshowdown with arch-rivals India in Kolkata on November 16 for a place inthe final.
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Arthur also praised the remarkable contributions of Fakhar Zaman,emphasizing his ability to be a game-changer and a key player for the team.
“So, it is really important for us that we keep Fakhar in this type of formand it´s really important that he takes this form and aggression andprecision with his batting into the game against England.”
Arthur said his team need to bring their best game against England, despitethe defending champions´ having lost six of their seven matches.
“Let´s hope we are saving ourselves for a batting, bowling and fieldingperformance against England and then what will be, will be.”