Andrew Puttick, Pakistan’s batting coach, expressed hope on Wednesday thatdespite three consecutive losses, the Pakistan cricket team still harboredaspirations of securing victories in the upcoming World Cup matches.
The team currently occupies the fifth spot on the points table, havingsuffered defeats against Afghanistan, Australia, and India. To have a shotat reaching the ICC World Cup semi-finals, they must win all theirremaining matches.
In an interview with Geo News regarding Pakistan’s chances of progressingto the tournament’s final four, Puttick maintained an optimistic outlook.He acknowledged the team’s challenging position, stating, “Our backs areagainst the wall, but we still have a chance, and there’s no option now. Wehave to go and perform at our best.
I’m quite confident that we can turn things around, starting on Friday.”After an embarrassing loss to Afghanistan, Pakistan’s captain, Babar Azam,admitted that the team had faltered in all aspects of their game butdeclared their determination to fight back in the upcoming fixtures.
The next challenge for Pakistan is a match against South Africa on Friday,October 27, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The Proteas have beena formidable force in the tournament, winning four out of their fivematches.
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Puttick, a former South African cricketer, emphasized the need for Pakistanto deliver their best cricket to overcome a team in such good form.Following three consecutive defeats, team morale was understandably low,but Puttick shed light on their renewed determination, saying, “Yes, theboys were hurting a bit. It’s been a tough couple of days, but I thinkeveryone woke up this morning really eager to get out on the field again onFriday and put in a strong performance.”
When asked about the specific areas where Pakistan needs improvement tochallenge the strong South African side, Puttick stressed the importance ofbringing their A-game.
He noted that South Africa was the in-form team in the tournament,excelling in batting, taking wickets with the new ball, and performing wellin the field. To compete with them, Pakistan needs to execute their planseffectively and perform at their best level, focusing on each ball of thegame.