3 biggest reasons why Pakistan are struggling in the 2023 World Cup
Pakistan went down to Australia by 62 runs in match number 18 of the 2023 ODI World Cup at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday. This was their second loss in as many matches after which they have slipped to fifth in the points table. They had earlier gone down to India by seven wickets in Ahmedabad.
Pakistan won the toss and opted to bowl first against Australia. The decision, however, backfired as the Aussies posted a mammoth 367/9 on the board in their 50 overs. David Warner (163 off 124) and Mitchell Marsh (121 off 108) struck brilliant hundreds for Australia, adding 259 runs for the first wicket. Pakistan fought back well after breaking the opening stand, but the damage had already been done.
In reply, Pakistan got off to a solid start as their openers added 134 in 21.1 overs. However, the pressure of a huge total eventually got to them as they were held to 305 in 45.3 overs.
After a bright start, Pakistan’s World Cup campaign has gone off track to an extent with two big losses.We analyze three major reasons behind Babar Azam and company’s struggles in the 2023 ODI World Cup.
#1 Big names not standing up
One of the key reasons behind Pakistan’s struggles in the 2023 World Cup has been the lack of contributions from the big names, starting from the skipper himself. Babar has had a forgettable World Cup campaign so far, registering scores of 5,10, 15, and 18 in four matches.
Not only has been failed to make significant contributions, he has also looked out of sorts at the crease. This is not a good sign for Pakistan and critics would wonder whether the pressure of leadership is taking a toll on his batting.
All-rounder Shadab Khan has been another huge disappointment for Pakistan so far in the 2023 World Cup. He hasn’t done much with the bat in the limited opportunities that he has got, but it’s the bowling that is the bigger worry with Shadab.
The leg-spinner has lacked the zip in his bowling and only managed two wickets in three matches. He has been expensive as well. It was not surprising that Shadab was dropped for the game against Australia, an indication of how badly he is struggling.
#2 Overdependence on Mohammed Rizwan in the batting
If we talk about the batting department, keeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan has been the only one who has displayed consistency with the willow.
Following the Australia-Pakistan clash, he was the leading run-getter in the 2023 World Cup with 294 runs in four innings at an average of 98 and a strike rate of 96.39. Apart from a century and a half-century, he has two 40s to his name.
Some of the other Pakistan batters have also contributed, but not to the extent that the team would have wanted. Opener Abdullah Shafique (197 runs from three matches) is the only other batter from the team among the top 10 leading run-getters in the 2023 World Cup as of now. Saud Shakeel has managed only 135 runs from four innings; Imam-ul-Haq has 133, Babar 83, Iftikhar Ahmed 61 and Mohammad Nawaz 57.
Pakistan will need much better contributions from their batters going ahead if they are to finish in the top four of the 2023 World Cup after the league stage.
#3 Lackluster bowling and fielding
Consistency has never been Pakistan’s forte, but the lack of coherence in both their bowling and fielding has severely hurt their campaign in the last two matches.
Left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi redeemed himself with a defiant five-wicket haul against Australia, but Haris Rauf is having an eminently forgettable World Cup. He conceded 43 runs against India in six overs and never looked like claiming a wicket. Against Australia, the right-arm quick was taken apart from Warner and Marsh. Rauf ended with three wickets in eight overs, but it cost him 83 runs.
Among leading wicket-takers in the 2023 World Cup, Afridi has nine scalps from four innings. Rauf has picked up eight but at an economy rate of 7.06. Hasan Ali has claimed seven wickets, but has been his usual inconsistent self. Shadab and Nawaz have managed only two wickets thus far and have looked far from threatening.
About Pakistan’s fielding, the less said the better. The catch that Usama Mir dropped of Warner early in the match against Australia was one of the simplest you will get in international cricket. What happened after that is history.
The dropped catch aside, Pakistan’s overall ground fielding has been sloppy and nowhere near international standards. They need to lift themselves quickly in all departments to stay in contention for a place in the 2023 World Cup semi-finals.