Losses to New Zealand and India have left Pakistan out of the semi-final race. Former PCB head Ramiz Raja criticises the team’s opening match strategy.
Why Pakistan didn’t play Bangladesh first instead of New Zealand? That follows India’s drubbing of Pakistan in Dubai on February 23.
Ramiz Raja’s Critique
Ramiz’s analysis followed Pakistan’s six-wicket loss to India. On his YouTube channel, he discussed the scheduling problem.
“I don’t know why Pakistan has started with New Zealand,” Ramiz said. He said it would have been an easier game to start against Bangladesh.
Strategic Misstep
Ramiz thinks that starting against Bangladesh would have evened out the pressure in Group A, while the defeat to New Zealand snowballed to more trouble on the way to India.
Pakistan’s defeat New Zealand by a score of 60 runs established a difficult tone. The India clash became a make-or-break moment they could not prevail in.
Missed Opportunity
Victory over India was Pakistan’s only lifeline in the semi-final. However, the hosts were well beaten, and Ramiz questioned the planning.
“If they’d played Bangladesh or India first, the pressure would’ve been even,” he said. That early loss to New Zealand became costly.
Virat Kohli Shines
Virat Kohli was the star for India, finishing with 100 not out off 111 balls. He literally guided India to chase down 242 with 45 balls to spare.
Ramiz appreciated, “Virat’s knock had calmness and attack. He termed Kohli a complete batter and said he unleashed his full power on Pakistan’s bowlers.
Final Blow
In Rawalpindi, New Zealand defeated Bangladesh by five wickets on February 24. This outcome effectively knocked Pakistan out of the semi-final race.
India and New Zealand have progressed to the Group A semi-finals. Pakistan’s campaign came to an anticlimactic end, and there has been some discussion of their aggressive path.
