Deflated Pakistan take on rampant New Zealand in must-win game
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A resurgent New Zealand will be eyeing a semi-final berth when they take on a deflated Pakistan in a World Twenty20 group match in Mohali Tuesday.
Smarting under a six-wicket defeat to arch rivals India, Shahid Afridi's men need a victory against the table-topping Kiwis to keep their hopes alive of winning the trophy for a second time.
Pakistan won their opener against Bangladesh comfortably but things have since gone downhill as they unravelled against the Indians on Saturday, sparking an angry backlash from fans back home.
The Black Caps in contrast have been riding high with their horses for courses policy paying rich dividends against India and Australia.
New Zealand are perched on top of Group 2 with four points followed by India and Pakistan on two each from as many games.
Skipper Kane Williamson has won plaudits after he packed his side with unheralded spinners and leaving out tested fast bowlers Trent Boult and Tim Southee in the key opening game against favourites India.
Their strategy worked well against Australia too with rookie spinners Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi combining with recalled paceman Mitchell McClenaghan to wreak havoc in the opposition ranks.
McClenaghan was a surprise replacement for Nathan McCullum, one of the heroes of New Zealand's dramatic victory over India.
“I think we were fortunate to play on two wickets which were very similar. We adopted similar tactics,” Williamson said after the win over his trans-Tasman rivals.
“You have to try and read the conditions and select accordingly.”
Another win will see New Zealand cruise through to the knockout stage of the tournament which would be a commendable feat for a young side.
Afridi, 36, will be under pressure to deliver after taking flak for his tactics against India.
Former Pakistani spin great Saqlain Mushtaq was surprised at the team selection by Afridi, who is tipped to retire at the end of the WT20.
“They couldn't read the pitch. For such a high profile match they should have played a proper spinner,” Mushtaq was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India news agency on Sunday.
“It was not a pitch to field four fast bowlers,” he said.
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Comments (86) Closed
Mar 21, 2016 05:58pm
Zero chances for Pakistan. We will be thoroughly defeated by Kiwis.
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Mar 21, 2016 06:01pm
Afridi should be kicked off after such a pathetic performance.
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Mar 21, 2016 06:03pm
good luck boys...
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Mar 21, 2016 06:05pm
I hope they lose, so that this drama ends.
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Mar 21, 2016 06:08pm
Not easy to read pitch. That said they should be better at it.Pakistsn were bit unlucky in that they lost the toss and the pitch was difficult to bat due moisture and the ball gripped,for,the spinners, more than second innings. That's the way it goes. Kholi was magnificent though and his batting is so assuring.
Pakistsn must give up against NZ bit of luck which they can win.
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Mar 21, 2016 06:09pm
Ok guys our problem is with the bat our opener are so bad this game is do or die no stopping every ball out of the park come on Pakistan u guys eat all the chicken and lamb and u can't hit the ball
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Mar 21, 2016 06:19pm
I have a feeling we will get past the Kiwis and the group will be wide open. Lets see after the match.
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Mar 21, 2016 06:21pm
@Adnan Mazher Khan I agree with you. This team is not good enough.
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Mar 21, 2016 06:22pm
No idea about this match.
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Mar 21, 2016 06:38pm
all these post analysis are easier said than done. It's very easy to make statements like oh this should have been done or that bla bla .
It's easy to pinpoint mistakes when a team loses.
So disappointed with ex cricketers... They keep bashing afridi & co. non stop! They make it sound like they have never lost a match in their career.
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Mar 21, 2016 06:40pm
Good luck guys, the ladies have led the way this time !!!
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Mar 21, 2016 06:41pm
Every one blaming sahid afridi and his team.Has anyone mention about the actual reason fordownfall of pakistani team.its due to lack of motivation.when you play most of your game in the desert of UAE without any crowd backing you are not motivated.when you are not motivated you cant take best out of yourself.pakistani player lack motivation.when you play in your home stadium you have crowd backing that motivates you and start winning.once you start winnning it becomes habbit.so back your team.make the condition better at home.play more cricket and your team will retain glory days of the past
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Mar 21, 2016 06:43pm
Not only New Zealand ,Australia too will test Afridi & co.
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Mar 21, 2016 07:01pm
I was talking to Ross Taylor at Dubai airport when his team was on the way to India. When I told him NZ had a good chance of winning. He said Indians were very good and were favourites to win. But look what NZs planning did to them! It is all about reading the conditions and picking the team for those conditions. Pakistan has been hopeless in this respect. Four quickies on that ground!
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Mar 21, 2016 07:01pm
I hope I'm wrong, but our poor play over the last few years has proven that we're just not a good team.
It will be a major upset for Pakistan to win. I think New Zealand will clobber Pakistan leaving Afridi the title of the worst captain in Pakistan Cricket history.
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Mar 21, 2016 07:04pm
It's hilarious that Afridi alone is targeted. The Najam Sethi / Sheharyar Khan / Waqar Younus combination doesn't work, regardless of who's captain.
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Mar 21, 2016 07:08pm
@tariq afridi has been stripped off the captaincy. Hafeez or sarfarz should be given a chance to captain Pakistan.
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Mar 21, 2016 07:09pm
@sam The team is good enough, just they don't play well enough to win games.
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Mar 21, 2016 07:09pm
Best of luck team Pakistan for matches against NZ and Aus. And guys, please stop humiliating your own heroes, do not demoralize them. India badly lost to NZ but their people did not insult their heroes.
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Mar 21, 2016 07:10pm
Pakistan must win against New Zealand and Australia, upsets are happening or near to happen in this format and tournament.
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Mar 21, 2016 07:13pm
Pakistan are going to win, remember my words after tommorows game. Best of luck from india
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Mar 21, 2016 07:13pm
Last chance for Afridi to do something.
Based on past experience in India, there is no need to include four fast bowlers in the
team. Also playing with three left arm fast bowlers makes no sense at all. Give Imad
or Nawaz a chance and see what happens.
We desperately need one specialist spinner.
Good Luck boys.
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Mar 21, 2016 07:25pm
Afridi captaincy needs to be very aggressive and smart for this win. In addition our top order needs to score runs.
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Mar 21, 2016 07:34pm
@Khan , that is what this group is being paid for, not to work, so nothing surprising there. Pakistan has lost so many matches in the last few months, if the action was so inevitable we would have seen something by now.
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Mar 21, 2016 07:35pm
There is no proper spinner in the side. They should have included Babar in the side.
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Mar 21, 2016 07:36pm
All of this, we shall see tomorrow!
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Mar 21, 2016 07:37pm
@tariq. No worries, one more game and Pakistan will be knocked out of the tournament.
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Mar 21, 2016 08:00pm
Sarfaraz should be made captain immediately in this match against NZ and Mr Shoeb Mirza should be dropped from this game.
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Mar 21, 2016 08:01pm
All the very best, Afridi!.. Indians will support you tomorrow.. moreover, the place is Mohali... all Punjabi brethren.. !!
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Mar 21, 2016 08:16pm
Can we not replace Afridi before the game against the Kiwis? There is zero chance otherwise tomorrow.
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Mar 21, 2016 08:18pm
i honestly want them do loose so waqar cant say that we had a young and inexperienced team and we did make it to semis
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Mar 21, 2016 08:27pm
You never know in t20's. I don't know about this team, but earlier Pakistan had the knack of coming back strongly by beating big teams like Australia. Pakistan is still the leader in Pool B ahead of India. Irrespective of pitch, you must have a quality spinner in the side.
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Mar 21, 2016 08:28pm
Tomorow's match against NZ is absolutely crucial and we cannot take chances with a captain who does not understand the wicket and has no consistyency. I say replace Afridi with Sarfaraz before that game.
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Mar 21, 2016 08:29pm
No chance for Pakistan. As long as Afridi is there, we are definitely not going to win against strong teams like new Zealand, India, Sri Lanka, Australia.
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Mar 21, 2016 08:32pm
Feel sorry for Afridi. He has limitations and everyone is questioning him. Had Pakistan won things would have been different. He has delivered sporadic brilliance performance but not consistent. I fail to understand why the PCB management issued statement of his termination while the tournament is still on. It only demotivates you. At this time of juncture, knowing by points they are still second spot, they should have motivated to do better against NZ and Aus. They should have issued sacking of captaincy and such statements after the tournament or if Pakistan elimination was confirmed.
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Mar 21, 2016 08:39pm
Hate to say this, this T20 side is not good enough to qualify. On paper they have great payers, but as a team, we are not in the same league as even Bangladesh. A total revamp is required after the WC. New faces like Babar Azam, Harris Sohail, Saddaf Hussain, Sami Aslam need to be in the team. Have a plan for the next 2 years and work towards it, and we need a foreign coach especially an Aussie.
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Mar 21, 2016 08:43pm
all comments in a nutshell
AFRIDI
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Mar 21, 2016 08:49pm
i love these ex cricketers, after the game they comment, should have doen this should have done that
well now Pakistan plays NZ, let saqlain come on record and say they should go with this players, this bowlers and this batsman, and should bat in this order ect
so if team does not follow this and lose he can say I told u so, and f the team follows his advice and lose then afridi can say now what?
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Mar 21, 2016 08:51pm
@Romash I totally disagree. New Zealand handled the noise of Indian crowd when no New Zealand fans were there to support the team and beat India. There is no chance for Pakistan to beat New Zealand. They beat Australia and defended the score second time in a row. Pakistan can't defend low score anymore.
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Mar 21, 2016 09:23pm
Sorry to say but Afridi's captaincy is very predictable that goes in favor of good opponents....
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Mar 21, 2016 09:26pm
Good bye under-achievers: Afridi, Waqar, Najam Sethi, Shehryar khan, Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Wahab Riaz
PCB needs to play the following for next 2/3 years for winning combo (minimum 2 left batsmen in team always):
Shan Masood (C), Azhar Ali (VC), Sarfraz , Ahmed Shehzad, Haris Sohail, Imad Wasim, Hammad Azam, Saeed Ajmal, Junaid Khan, M. Amir, Rahat Ali
12th man: Babar Azam
They must not even give any player who cannot play tests a central contract - tests develop technique and mental strength and now the same players are in T20 and and tests (AB Devilliers, Kohli, Joe Root, Steve Smith, Dave Warner etc..)
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Mar 21, 2016 09:26pm
@Riaz
when did a team played 4 fast bowlers in india, probably the west indies in the 1980s The coach and captain to blame.
Waqar being fast bowler, should be able to teach pakistani bowlers to pitch the ball.
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Mar 21, 2016 09:31pm
i read about an indian saying 6 or 7 years ago on website...that whenever he need to bet on 4 finalist for world cup..he always put his bet on pakistan to be in semis..n not india coz he sure pak will always go to atleast semis..hope he dont lose bet this time
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Mar 21, 2016 09:53pm
I fear for Pakistan's game against New Zealand....They were so thoroughly humbled by India that getting back on their feet for the next game is one thing but having New Zealand as their opponent should give the Pakistanis nightmares of epic proportions.....but we'll see....Lets hope Pakistan can muster all the strength they can to go the distance........
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Mar 21, 2016 09:57pm
Reality check...
I believe team should start packing up for trip back-home. At least that way all the money been spent on these trips can be saved.
PCB should go back to the drawing-board to figure out what is at the core of all these lack-luster performances.
Better luck next time folks.
Cheers
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Mar 21, 2016 09:57pm
I will not waste my time till Afridi and Waqar are out of the team and merit returns to the cricket.
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Mar 21, 2016 10:00pm
We will win against NZ. Relax. But that will be our only other win. We will lose to Australians.
We always win against weak teams (yes New Zealand is basically a weak team) and lose to good teams.
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Mar 21, 2016 10:06pm
Afridi says that he alongwith the team commit mistake against India. Question to Afridi is "What else you & your team do other than committing mistakes" you have really shamed the nation. Better learn from women's team how to score victory. Go Afridi Go & take Waqar along with you.
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Mar 21, 2016 10:08pm
Afridi does not have the temperament nor the smarts required of a captain.
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Mar 21, 2016 10:09pm
They couldn't beat India , who can they beat kiwis? Only miracle can make Pakistani team win.
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Mar 21, 2016 10:12pm
Have Faith in your team. The entire stadium is going to back Pakistan during the Pak-NZ game as it will serve India's purpose also if Pakistan defeats NZ. So for tomorrow's match you have Pakistan + India support and Afridi will have to click apart from learning lessons of past of playing at least 2 good spinners for that match. If Pakisatn wins; it will be an interesting scenario that will emerge for all teams having lost one match each.
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Mar 21, 2016 10:21pm
@Adnan Mazher Khan even India had no chance aganist kiwis how will pak survive.Pakistan campaign is as good as over
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Mar 21, 2016 10:26pm
@Asif Jamil but u have only quickies in team right.then what will afridi do.Pakistan has been di obsessed with fast bowling that they dint have any decent batsmen, spinner or fielders
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Mar 21, 2016 10:28pm
this will be the tougest game .......
sharjeel's start will be the key, pak batting has to click
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Mar 21, 2016 10:30pm
Failure after failure - WHY? Fix your shortcomings and play like a cornered tigher if you want to win. Play fearlessly. Otherwise goodbye from World CupT20 2016
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Mar 21, 2016 10:31pm
Pakistan team not playing well in T20 for past few months after defeating Sri Lanka at their home. I would still like green shirts to win tomorrow but realistically the way other teams are playing I don't see them going to the next round .... still All the best to Team Pakistan
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Mar 21, 2016 10:31pm
@Riaz
i think not playing a spinner took the match away from Pakistan.
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Mar 21, 2016 10:32pm
@natey but the truth is India has a much better world cup record, pak won in 92 by fluke and in 99 reached final, India won in 83,2011, reached final in2003, reached semis in 15 and 96...
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Mar 21, 2016 10:43pm
if pakistan win india will be out of the tournament
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Mar 21, 2016 10:59pm
At Eden Gardens on Saturday, India was playing a must win match, otherwise they would have been out of the World Cup being held in their own country. They were down 3 wickets at 23 but thanks to their Captain Dhoni, they held their nerve and we who had everything going for us including having won a game at that very wicket two days ago, lost our nerves because we have a very poor captain. Same thing will happen tomorrow unless we replace Afridi. Sarfaraz will be the best choice as captain.
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Mar 21, 2016 11:02pm
Apart from amir no x factor in pak team. Need performance like BD otherwise I don't see any chance. Being Indian fan although I want ind vs pak to go to semifinal but seems unlikely. Might be both out :) :(
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Mar 21, 2016 11:04pm
Afridi is a wrong choice.PCB leeches should be given a boot.That is what they deserve.We are blaming the wrong guys.The players were hand picked by PCB.
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Mar 21, 2016 11:05pm
@zoheb from imran khan to wasim akram to younis khan to hafeez to afridi...they have all been decimated in world cup matches against india...miandad and saqlain and akhtar keep throwing observations on tv chenels but they too failed miserably in these world cup matches against india..25 years man..thats complete domination..no wins at all..sad
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Mar 21, 2016 11:15pm
@Sarai Alamgir why not add fawad alam.. And junaid ,gul in the bowling department instead of wahab and irfan... adding ajmal is not a bad idea. Even though he is not in his best form...
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Mar 21, 2016 11:23pm
Pak can defeat Aus but it is difficult to beat NZ. In case Pak could tip NZ, they are sure to qualify for the semis. Aus has gone down during the last six months or so.
R.S. Menon, Bangalore
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Mar 22, 2016 12:42am
I would not say Pakistan has not got chance. They have chance. When guys like Mr Afridi and Mr Malik Co around, then it is easy to say yes, they do not have any chance at all against New Zealand. How can you change winning combination after beating Bangladesh and our spinners took 3 wickets altogether? The moment, I saw the team squad before even the first bowl deliver, I knew that our team will lose the match. If we need to see our Pakistan Cricket going in a good direction, simply get rid of all members of PCB and older players in the team. Bring young blood 18+ talents, then we can see positive sign. Otherwise, no chance of winning the games and story will be the same and dream of winning will be continue. Anyhow good luck to our team, you never know the miracle.
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Mar 22, 2016 12:45am
Common guys, support Afridi, especially during these times. I don't think one should not be so negative towards Afridi. He did his best. Please leave him alone.
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Mar 22, 2016 01:09am
Pakistan should include Imad and Nawaz in
the team against NewZealand
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Mar 22, 2016 01:34am
Well if history has a say in it, they will defeat New Zealand , no other country has kiwis number like Pakistan. down the memory lane to 92, NZ were unbeaten , we had to beat them to go though and again beat them in semi final..it's all in black and white, granted, NZ currently are a very hard nut to crack...but it's not myth it's fact, Pakistan does have their number ...go Pakistan .
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Mar 22, 2016 01:47am
@Umer Sultan
Who is Shoeb Mirza ? Not in the 14.......a staff ?
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Mar 22, 2016 02:05am
Pl don't let down Afridi much. He had been elevated to captaincy but not having that stuff but a great player /allrounder indeed.Hope he will bring back all the smiles to his fans and the country with a win over Newzealand though it is difficult,not impossible.
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Mar 22, 2016 04:10am
Afridi, please don't try to become a hero, and use your batsmen / bowlers intelligently this time...
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Mar 22, 2016 06:06am
There are some chances of wining, if Mr. boom boom does not play and some youngster (Imad or manzoor) is given opportunity.
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Mar 22, 2016 06:16am
Guys, the Indians misread the pitch too. Kohli was the difference. I am an Indian, delighted at the 11-0 score, but have respect for team Pakistan. They got beaten by a side that played better on the day. Cricket won, and it was wonderful to see the camaraderie between the two sides.
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Mar 22, 2016 06:50am
@ENGR OSMAN , Excellent choice ! provided the new selectors and chairman listens to the suggestion.
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Mar 22, 2016 07:25am
Its funny coz if Pak somehow win tomorrow ..they will be first place in group coz rheir NRR automatically improves above NZ coz of win !
Crazy yo !
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Mar 22, 2016 08:13am
49 runs or 8 wicket defeat
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Mar 22, 2016 09:24am
@Khan : I totally agree with you but remember he asks for certain players in his team and he always picks his buddies as well. Why he has not picked Imad, Babar or even left armer all rounder. So equally blame for the defeat pakistan had but than again it is the game that could be fixed since we are always making such tactical mistakes only with India. So this is much bigger than all of us guys...........
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Mar 22, 2016 09:38am
So far, most matches won by the teams bating second.
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Mar 22, 2016 10:20am
First I don't think that only Afridi is responsible for all floop show of Green shirt. The biggest responsible persons is PCB and secondly the coaching staff. Such a pathetic mindset by these authority towards the players then what you expect from the player in big tournament. Im big fan of Pakistan Bowling but all department should work upto the mark then only Team Own. Firstly remove unwanted person from selection committe.
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Mar 22, 2016 10:49am
The most traumatic job on the earth is to be Pakistan Cricket team captain. I pity Afridi.
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Mar 22, 2016 12:08pm
There are a lot of comments on Afridi captaincy.
I can find only one fault. That is he should have stood up for his own team selection. Has anyone noticed that the Pakistani team performance has gone into a negative dive after Waqar took up as coach.
On the other side, please check Afganistan's performance after Inzi became their coach.
PCB wants to hold the reigns.
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Mar 22, 2016 01:49pm
I am an indian from Singapore. Even though I am in indian, i wanted to Pakistan to win this game and move to Semi's because Pakistan team is an excellent cricket team. Unpredictable cricket team out of all the cricket teams..
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Mar 22, 2016 04:01pm
@Shibu
Pakistan will win today and also can win against Australia. They stand a good chance to reach Semis.
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Mar 22, 2016 04:56pm
New Zealand will top the group and either India or Australia will qualify for semi finals. Only deserving should enter semi finals.
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Mar 22, 2016 10:23pm
@Kailash Singh Agreed. Australia should qualify. India is not deserving.
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