New Delhi: Pakistan faced their second loss in the ICC Champions Trophy, falling to India by six wickets at the Dubai International Stadium. The batting lineup struggled, managing to score only 241 runs, with Saud Shakeel contributing 62. The pace trio of Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Naseem Shah failed to make an impact as India comfortably chased down the target, highlighted by Virat Kohli’s 51st ODI century. This defeat marks Pakistan’s second consecutive loss, following their earlier defeat to New Zealand in the tournament’s opening match.
The loss to India has significantly diminished Pakistan’s chances of advancing to the Champions Trophy semifinals, although it remains mathematically feasible. For Pakistan to secure a spot in the semifinals, they must hope for substantial defeats of New Zealand against both Bangladesh and India. Additionally, they need to win their final league match against Bangladesh. If these conditions are met, all three teams would end up with the same number of points, and the team with the superior run rate would proceed to the semifinals alongside India.
Pakistan’s captain, Mohammad Rizwan, expressed a lack of optimism regarding his team’s prospects, stating that their Champions Trophy journey has come to an end. “”For now, we can say that it’s over. This is the truth,” the Pakistan captain said.
Rizwan expressed his discomfort with relying on the outcomes of other matches for semifinal qualification. He acknowledged that his team did not perform well and stated that they are deserving of their current standing.
“As a captain, I honestly don’t like this. If you can win, then do it. If you can’t, then don’t worry about it. I don’t care if you are sitting in someone else’s shadow.
“I don’t care if you are outside the tournament or in it. Yes, New Zealand has defeated us; India has defeated us. We accept it. We can play well; we can play badly. We can’t say that we should stay on someone else’s side. Allah has made this a chance, we can’t say anything about it.”
Rizwan mentioned that the qualification is beyond their control and stated that he will be monitoring the performance of other teams. “In the next match, we’ll see what Bangladesh does with New Zealand, what New Zealand does with India, and what we do. It’s a long journey. Yes, we have hope and belief in Allah. Our dependence on the Champions Trophy has now come on other teams.” Pakistan are the defending champions.
