Renowned TV anchor Fakhar-e-Alam jokingly recalled Wasim Akram’s idea of locking the English cricketers inside their dressing room for Pakistan to beat them and qualify for the semi-finals.
After Angelo Mathews got ‘timed-out’ off the field during the Srilanka vs. Bangladesh match on November 8, 2023, a batsman getting timed-out has become some sort of an inside joke amongst the cricketing fraternity. Post the memorable 38th match of the season, the 41st match of the tournament saw Kiwi captain Kane Williamson playfully tease Mathews about the incident.
Renowned TV anchor Fakhar-e-Alam also joined in to reveal the former Pakistani cricketer, Wasim Akram’s joke about the same when he spoke to A Sports. Akram had suggested that Pakistan could still have a chance at making it into the semi-finals by locking the English players inside their dressing room to get ‘timed out’.
Alam recalled the Pakistani commentator’s idea by saying, “Make whatever score that is possible and then go and lock the dressing room of the England team for 20 minutes so that all their batters get timed out.”
As Akram sat giggling at what the anchor said, Misbah-ul-Haq, who was also part of the panel, added to the joke by suggesting they lock up the Englishmen before the game even began.
How can Pakistan still qualify for the semi-finals? @wasimakramlive has a hilarious idea.#ASportsHD #ARYZAP #CWC23 #ThePavilion #WasimAkram #MoinKhan #FakhreAlam #MisbahulHaq #NZvSL pic.twitter.com/iaCH6CSZSa
— ASports (@asportstvpk) November 9, 2023
After New Zealand’s convincing five-wicket victory over Sri Lanka on November 9, Pakistan faces a tougher road to the semi-finals. Despite having the potential to reach 10 points like New Zealand, Pakistan’s net run rate is a significant obstacle. In their final round-robin match against England in Kolkata on November 11, Pakistan must improve their net run rate to 0.75, surpassing New Zealand’s 0.74.
To achieve this, they need to win by a substantial margin of 287-288 runs when batting first or chase the target with 284 deliveries to spare when bowling first. Their best chance is to bat first, score 400, and limit England to 112 runs. The fourth-placed team in the points table will face India at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.
Last Updated on November 10, 2023
