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Analysis: What’s wrong with Pakistan’s World Cup 2023 strategy?

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CHENNAI: Three back-to-back defeats have put Babar Azam & Co’s World Cup campaign in disarray which seems to have become a hallmark of Pakistan cricket.

After the start they would’ve wanted in the World Cup by winning two games against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka, Pakistan was outclassed by India, Australia and Afghanistan which leaves them with four points from five games.

The Green Shirts will now play South Africa, Bangladesh, New Zealand and England – all the games are now must-win for them, if they want to qualify for the semis. 

It is mind-boggling to see how Pakistan has gone down from a world-class team to an unimpressive and hapless side in this tournament.

What happened in Ahmedabad during the game against India wasn’t unexpected, but it seems that Pakistan has failed to overcome that massive defeat by the hosts and then the loss against Australia added insult to their injuries.

India was the clear favourite, but Pakistan wasn’t as bad as they looked in that game, despite a reasonable start, Pakistan collapsed and were bowled out for a meagre 191 runs.

However, the game against Australia exposed two sides of the Pakistani bowling lineup. On the one hand, the bowlers delivered 152 dot balls while on the other hand, they conceded 367 runs in 50 overs.

Additionally, there seems to be a lack of planning and no effort is made to think out of the box.

Just a few months ago, Pakistan was termed the world’s best bowling attack, that best attack now seems to be nowhere. It is hard to digest that the reason for this lacklustre display of bowling is only because of Naseem Shah’s absence.

It may be one of the reasons, but who is to be blamed for the lack of situational awareness of the bowling attack?

It seems that we have systematically damaged the team ourselves, and now we are paying the price. 

Former captain Wasim Akram has rightly pointed out that our players are least interested in first-class cricket, and this is the reason they’re not as impressive in ODIs as they can be in T20Is.

Another problem Babar Azam is facing is a lack of serious effort from his teammates on the field. The three-dropped catches, especially the one dropped by Usama Mir that provided Warner with a lifeline in the game against Australia, and then unimpressive fielding during the game against Afghanistan put a question mark on the standard of fitness.

It may be a harsh assessment, but the Pakistan team’s fielding was worse than a local club team. No effort, no energy, no intent, no attitude. Nothing at all. They looked lethargic from the beginning.

It is high time for Mickey Arthur, Grant Bradburn and Babar Azam to rethink their strategy and shift gears.

Pakistan is down but still not out as the tournament is still wide open.

Pakistan must adopt and display the “Pakistan Way” which was talked about, instead of the traditional “Pakistan way,” which puts the team in a situation where they’ve to depend on ifs and buts to qualify for the last stages.

It may be late, but not too late, Pakistan management still has the time to wake up and put things in order.

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Champions Trophy 2025 will remain in Pakistan, the CEO of the ICC has said.

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Dismissing any rumors that the Champions Trophy 2025 will be moved to a different nation, International Cricket Council (ICC) Chief Executive Geoff Allardice has stated that the tournament will take place in Pakistan as planned.

The 2025 ICC Champions Trophy is slated to take place in Pakistan in February and March. Nevertheless, India’s participation in the competition is up in the air since the BCCI is still awaiting government sanction to travel there.

Recall that there were rumors in Indian media, backed by the BCCI, that the Indian team would not be traveling to Pakistan for the forthcoming ICC match.

Additional reports stated that the board had formally suggested Sri Lanka and Dubai as possible locations for India’s match.

According to Geoff Allardice, who denied the reports, no team has expressed reluctance to play in the competition.

Allardice voiced her appreciation over Pakistan’s hosting of the Women’s T20 World Cup during a press conference in Dubai. He went on to emphasize that Pakistan is the ICC’s choice to host the Champions Trophy.

Remarkably, Pakistan is preparing three stadiums for the Champions Trophy in Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi.

The PCB Chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, has revealed that the stadium modifications will be finished prior to the start of the Champions Trophy.

Gaddafi Stadium’s basement will be built by September 30. It will take three weeks to finish each floor. A steel framework would make up the front building. By December 31, the primary structure of Gaddafi Stadium will be finished, according to Naqvi.

“The seats will be erected in the stadium prior to the Champions Trophy; Indi Stadium will need to be fully destroyed and rebuilt.

“The Champions Trophy will take place before the renovations at Karachi’s [National Stadium] are finished,” he said.

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In the possible return of the Afro-Asian Cup, players from Pakistan and India might go together.

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Pakistan and India were among the best sub-continent nations that competed in the Afro-Asia Cup, which was contested in 2005 and 2007. The Africa XI was comprised of South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Kenya. The Asia XI was comprised of two teams.

Due to problems with broadcasting and political hurdles, the event was canceled after only two editions, despite the fact that it received a great deal of attention and appreciation from cricket lovers all over the world.

The negotiations regarding the resuscitation of the Afro-Asia Cup sprang to life a few days after Jay Shah was appointed to the position of Chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC!).

The competition was played in the format of a Twenty20 match, but the next edition of the tournament might be played in the format of a Twenty20 match.

Samod Damodar, the chairman of the African Cricket Association (ACA), presented conjecture over the possibility that the idea will actually be adopted. In addition, he provided an update on the situation.

The fact that the Afro-Asia Cup did not take place is something that has left me feeling extremely upset. Despite the fact that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) did not receive sufficient momentum, it is currently being reconsidered. To a large extent, I believe that it was a lack of comprehension and a refusal to support the idea. It is something that our members deeply lament. It was necessary for Africa to be the driving force behind it,” Damodar was quoted as saying in a story published by Forbes.

With the belief that the Afro-Asia Cup has the potential to alleviate political tensions, Damodar has great hopes for the competition.

It is possible that these matches will break down political boundaries that are currently in place. Instead than driving a wedge between people, cricket can help establish bridges between them. In my opinion, I do not feel that players are hostile toward one another; therefore, I am confident that they would be willing to participate in this activity. The fact that Mahinda is now a member of the International Cricket Council board and Jay Shah is the current president of the ICC may give this cause a little bit more traction. When it comes to making this happen, both of them have always been proactive in their efforts,” he went on to say.

Claims concerning the restoration of the Afro-Asia Cup also emerged in June 2022, claiming that the competition would make its return in the middle of 2023. For those who are unaware, these claims suggested that the tournament would return.

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Champions Trophy: Pakistan will be visited by an ICC delegation next week

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Pakistan, who are also the reigning champions, will host the 50-over competition in February and March of next year.

The heads and representatives of various ICC departments are part of the visiting delegation.

Along with these topics, the inspection team will talk about the tournament’s schedule, practice matches, locations, and ticketing.

The group will receive an update on the global premium tournament’s upgraded venues from PCB executives.

Within two days, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will receive the schedule from the ICC, according to sources.

During its inspection, the ICC will visit all three of the tournament’s locations in Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Karachi and examine the arrangements for the next events.

The Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, National Stadium in Karachi, and Rawalpindi International Cricket Stadium are the three sites that will stage the enormous show. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) allotted Rs 12.80 billion earlier this year for their renovations.

In the upcoming year, the ICC Champions Trophy will be held at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, and the National Stadium in Karachi, from February 19 to March 9.

The countries that make up Group B are Australia, England, Afghanistan, South Africa, and Pakistan, India, New Zealand, and Bangladesh.

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