Nottingham: As shocked England were left to dissect why their bowling, catching and fielding had suddenly become so poor, there was a sense of relief among cricketing officials that Pakistan was still well and truly in contention for this World Cup.
The sport's showpiece tournament needs Pakistan and India to be in the mix for as long as possible, and for their fanatical supporters at the ground – and the tens of millions at home – to have much to cheer about.
On the winners' list: Pakistan took care of host nation England overnight.Credit:AP
On this occasion, it came care of Pakistan's 14-run win at Trent Bridge when the home side fell short of securing what would have been a record World Cup chase of 349 to win.
The tit-for-tat cheering and whistling between England and Pakistan supporters on the packed terraces, was what this event is all about, the mood swinging on every shot and wicket – but all done in the prism of friendship.
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"Pakistan supporters here today, what an atmosphere," former England captain Michael Vaughan noted.
Pakistan had been mauled by the West Indies in their opening match only three days ago at the same venue, extending their streak of one-day international defeats to 11, and were given little hope against the tournament favourites. That quickly changed when they dashed past 300, and so did everyone's expectations for the rest of this World Cup.
"Congratulations to the Pakistan cricket team for a great win and for coming back into form after a poor start in the warm up matches and the first [World Cup] match. You have the talent, all you need is the self belief that you can go all the way," Imran Khan, the former World Cup-winning captain turned prime minister, tweeted.
This victory, care of a superb 84 off 62 balls by Mohammad Hafeez and an even bowling performance that held firm when England needed 91 runs off the final 10 overs with five wickets in hand, has given Pakistan confidence for the rest of the summer, coming after a 4-0 series loss to England only weeks ago.
"Overall, we are very happy and we have confidence," Hafeez said.
The first week of the tournament is not yet over, but the indications are that Afghanistan and Sri Lanka will finish at, or near, the foot of the table. That was the script written heading into this campaign, and looks like being on the money.
Of the heavyweight nations, South Africa have dropped their opening two games and have significant injury issues heading into a must-win clash against India on Wednesday night. This is arguably the weakest Proteas unit seen at a World Cup – their lack of top-order class and overall depth has been an issue. Should the Proteas lose iRead More – Source
Nottingham: As shocked England were left to dissect why their bowling, catching and fielding had suddenly become so poor, there was a sense of relief among cricketing officials that Pakistan was still well and truly in contention for this World Cup.
The sport's showpiece tournament needs Pakistan and India to be in the mix for as long as possible, and for their fanatical supporters at the ground – and the tens of millions at home – to have much to cheer about.
On the winners' list: Pakistan took care of host nation England overnight.Credit:AP
On this occasion, it came care of Pakistan's 14-run win at Trent Bridge when the home side fell short of securing what would have been a record World Cup chase of 349 to win.
The tit-for-tat cheering and whistling between England and Pakistan supporters on the packed terraces, was what this event is all about, the mood swinging on every shot and wicket – but all done in the prism of friendship.
Advertisement
"Pakistan supporters here today, what an atmosphere," former England captain Michael Vaughan noted.
Pakistan had been mauled by the West Indies in their opening match only three days ago at the same venue, extending their streak of one-day international defeats to 11, and were given little hope against the tournament favourites. That quickly changed when they dashed past 300, and so did everyone's expectations for the rest of this World Cup.
"Congratulations to the Pakistan cricket team for a great win and for coming back into form after a poor start in the warm up matches and the first [World Cup] match. You have the talent, all you need is the self belief that you can go all the way," Imran Khan, the former World Cup-winning captain turned prime minister, tweeted.
This victory, care of a superb 84 off 62 balls by Mohammad Hafeez and an even bowling performance that held firm when England needed 91 runs off the final 10 overs with five wickets in hand, has given Pakistan confidence for the rest of the summer, coming after a 4-0 series loss to England only weeks ago.
"Overall, we are very happy and we have confidence," Hafeez said.
The first week of the tournament is not yet over, but the indications are that Afghanistan and Sri Lanka will finish at, or near, the foot of the table. That was the script written heading into this campaign, and looks like being on the money.
Of the heavyweight nations, South Africa have dropped their opening two games and have significant injury issues heading into a must-win clash against India on Wednesday night. This is arguably the weakest Proteas unit seen at a World Cup – their lack of top-order class and overall depth has been an issue. Should the Proteas lose iRead More – Source
