Pakistan has a mountain task in their next match if they wish to qualify for the ICC World Cup semi-finals. Considering the pressure situation, skipper Babar Azam cleared some air about the team's captaincy and his form in the tournament.
Before the match against England, Azam addressed the media and said that the burden of captaincy has affected his batting at the World Cup and is not losing sleep over whether he will keep the job after the showpiece event.
"I have been captaining my team for the last three years and I have never felt pressure," he said. "I have not performed the way I should have in the World Cup, that’s why people are saying that I am under pressure. Over the last two and half or three years, I was the one who was performing for the side and leading the team".
Two scenarios in which Pakistan can qualify for the ICC World Cup semi-finals:
For starters, beating England on Saturday is a non-negotiable for the Babar Azam-led side. If they bat first, Pakistan will have to triumph over the defending champions by 287 runs. If they chase, then they will have to get to the English target within 2.4 overs, i.e., with 284 deliveries to spare.
Pakistan's current NRR is +0.036. By all means, a victory by such a momentous margin seems improbable, but they can try pushing their luck by batting first and if the Duckworth Lewis System (DLS) comes into play due to rains.
The 1992 champions are fifth in the points table and face a virtually impossible task to make the semi-finals when they take on holders England, who have already been eliminated, in their final group match on Saturday.
Pakistan must not only match New Zealand's five wins from nine matches but also need to massively improve their net run rate to make the knockout stage. If they bat first Babar's team will have to beat England by at least 287 runs to leapfrog New Zealand into the last four, which appears unlikely, and speculation is rife over whether Babar would retain the captaincy after their campaign.
He sought to steer clear of any speculation, however, and said his focus was solely on finishing their group stage on a winning note at Eden Gardens. "Once we go back to Pakistan ... we will see what happens," the 29-year-old reporters on Friday. "Right now, I am not focusing on this. My focus is on the next match."
Babar entered the World Cup as the top-ranked ODI batter but his average of 40.28 is behind three of his teammates, while several former players have found his leadership uninspiring.
The number three batter's highest score of 74 came in their shock loss to Afghanistan but the 29-year-old denied that the captaincy was affecting his form with the bat.
"It seems everyone has an opinion on me - he should be like this, or like that. If someone really wants to advise me, I think everyone has my number. But I guess it is easy to give advice on TV", Babar added.
(With Reuters inputs)
