In the ICC World T20 2016 so far, New Zealand, who beat India by 47 runs, prevailed over Australia by eight runs and plays Bangladesh in its final Group B Super 10s fixture, is best placed to top the table and enter the semis. But Pakistan, who has had mixed fortunes so far, believes it could be in with a serious chance to be the other semifinalist from the pool if it beats Kane Williamson's men at the PCA IS Bindra Stadium on Tuesday (March 22).
Pakistan's 55-run win against Bangladesh was a complete performance, as the top order made runs and the bowlers delivered. Against India, it was possibly a spinner short in defending 118 as Virat Kohli produced a masterclass. But, form and conditions hardly are a factor when it comes to Pakistan. The more the odds are against the side, the deeper it digs to surprise everyone.
Shahid Afridi, the captain, who has been a part of many such spectacular turnarounds, was in familiar territory when he came for the pre-match press conference, and he was confident in backing his side.
“Even before the tournament started, people had written us off. But, I have stayed away from Twitter and Facebook,” he said. “Right now, all we can do is perform well. If you create a panic situation in the team then it is difficult to sort out things. Miracles always don’t work in cricket. We have to stop repeating small mistakes and play good cricket … There is a time to talk and there is a time to act. Now is the time to act on what has been spoken. We spoke over two days and planned, and tomorrow is action time.
“As a captain, I am just concerned about my team’s and my performance. I have belief in my and team’s ability that we will make the best use of our skills in tomorrow’s game,” he added. “New Zealand are a good team, they have been playing good cricket for a few years now, but conditions are different. It’s also a different event and we have the hunger to win the next match.”
Pakistan's 55-run win against Bangladesh was a complete performance, as the top order made runs and the bowlers delivered. Against India, it was possibly a spinner short in defending 118 as Virat Kohli produced a masterclass. But, form and conditions hardly are a factor when it comes to Pakistan. The more the odds are against the side, the deeper it digs to surprise everyone.
Shahid Afridi, the captain, who has been a part of many such spectacular turnarounds, was in familiar territory when he came for the pre-match press conference, and he was confident in backing his side.
“Even before the tournament started, people had written us off. But, I have stayed away from Twitter and Facebook,” he said. “Right now, all we can do is perform well. If you create a panic situation in the team then it is difficult to sort out things. Miracles always don’t work in cricket. We have to stop repeating small mistakes and play good cricket … There is a time to talk and there is a time to act. Now is the time to act on what has been spoken. We spoke over two days and planned, and tomorrow is action time.
“As a captain, I am just concerned about my team’s and my performance. I have belief in my and team’s ability that we will make the best use of our skills in tomorrow’s game,” he added. “New Zealand are a good team, they have been playing good cricket for a few years now, but conditions are different. It’s also a different event and we have the hunger to win the next match.”
Mike Hesson, New Zealand’s coach, was wary of Pakistan's volatile nature. His team's familiarity with the opposition after having beaten it 2-1 in a bilateral T20I series at home in January could work both ways, he felt.
“They are unpredictable, but very skilful. They have got a lot of pace of left-arm variety and with (Mohammad) Irfan they have a difference in terms of bounce. Their bowling attack is very challenging, completely different from what we had faced in the last two games,” said Hesson. “We are fortunate to have played them recently. Whether that makes them less predictable or just gives us more information [remains to be seen]. As a batting unit, they are relatively predictable in the way they play and that gives us more opportunity with the ball.”
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