Pakistan's Unlikely Semifinal Bid Receives Support from PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja

On Friday, Pakistan's optional nets session at Eden Gardens had an unexpected guest.

Shortly as the players were about to wrap up, Ramiz Raja, the chairman of the Board and a former captain, arrived. Ramiz, who was in the city as a member of the commentary crew, spent about fifteen minutes with captain Babar Azam.

The conversation could have veered into the dos and don'ts despite Pakistan's unlikely prospects of reaching the semifinals.

They are in a same predicament as they were in the last edition, when they needed to defeat New Zealand by 316 runs in their league match to advance to the semi-finals on net-run rate (NRR). New Zealand went on to take second place.

In order to surpass New Zealand on NRR this time, Pakistan must defeat England by 287 runs or, if they are chasing, must complete the goal with 284 balls remaining.

Babar emphasized on Friday, saying, "We will try to do it. It's in our minds." "We'll attempt to carry out our strategies for reaching the goal."

Babar said that they had not given up. "We want that, but with proper planning, how we want to play the first 10 overs, then the next 20 to achieve that target," Babar said. "We can't just go in and start firing blindly."

Numerous factors are involved in this, such as the partnership and the duration of each player's time on the field. We can do it, in my opinion, if Fakhar (Zaman) plays for 20 or 30 overs throughout the match. Next, get in touch with Iftikhar and Rizwan. We have prepared for this and we can handle it.

Nevertheless, if England asks them to bowl first, their hopes are gone. Even if they could keep England below 100, it would then be almost hard to complete their NRR above New Zealand.

Although Pakistan's World Cup struggles are not surprising considering their patchy history, England's near-catastrophe has remained a mystery. Only a win will get Jos Buttler's squad one step closer to a Champions Trophy 2025 spot. They are fighting to stay afloat.

To finish in the top seven, England must defeat Pakistan and pray that either Bangladesh or the Netherlands lose their last game. England will not be able to qualify if they lose against Pakistan and the Netherlands and Bangladesh win their respective championship games.

We are all really disappointed and regretful that we didn't perform as well as we could have as a team. We would have cherished being here at the business end and carrying out the fantastic work the team accomplished in 2019.

Dawid Malan was upfront in his admittance, saying, "But it just hasn't been and I think as a group reflecting on it, we're extremely disappointed with that."

For some members of England's golden generation, including Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, and Chris Woakes, this game may also be their last.

A Champions Trophy spot might inspire this group and give them a sense of accomplishment.

Malan said, "We still have the Champions Trophy and a lot to play for."

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