World Cup 2019: Former Pakistani cricketer Basit Ali claims India will intentionally lose to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka
What's the story?
Former Pakistani cricketer Basit Ali has alleged that India will intentionally lose to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in their next World Cup games so that Pakistan get eliminated from the tournament. He even stated that Australian opener David Warner purposefully played a slow knock against India.
The background
India have outplayed every opposition in the 2019 World Cup so far. They have defeated South Africa, Pakistan, Australia, West Indies and Afghanistan to acquire the 2nd position in the points table.
With India seemingly through to the semifinals, the last three games for the Men in Blue will not have a major impact on their own chances of qualifying for the semifinals. However, the results of those games matter a lot for the other three Asian teams who are in contention for a place in the top 4.
If Pakistan want to ensure a place in the semifinals, then they need to win all their games and hope that England, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh lose their matches. Co-incidentally, England, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have a match against India later in the tournament. This means that Pakistan's hopes rely heavily on how the Indian team plays.
The heart of the matter
Basit Ali, who played 19 Tests and 50 ODIs for Pakistan from 1993 to 1996, voiced his controversial opinion on a local news channel.
He believes that India will not play well against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka so that Pakistan loses out on a place in the semifinals.
Ali said:
“India will never want that Pakistan make it to the semifinals. They have matches remaining against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Everyone saw the fashion in which they won against Afghanistan.”
He also alleged that David Warner intentionally played a slow knock against India, presumably so that India would win. The former international player even added that New Zealand lost the 1992 World Cup group match against Pakistan because the Kiwis wanted a semifinal match in their own country.
What's next?
Pakistan will play their next game against Afghanistan this Saturday while team India will battle England in a much anticipated encounter on Sunday. If Pakistan win that match, then their last encounter against Bangladesh will be a virtual quarterfinal - but only if India lose to Bangladesh first.
If India win, then the Tigers will be practically out of the tournament, thus reducing the pressure on Pakistan.
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