Pakistan’s middle-order batter Saud Shakeel said Tuesday that his team is now focused on their World Cup 2023 match against Australia after losing to their arch-rivals India. India beat Pakistan by a score of 191 runs in Ahmedabad. The Men in Blue easily beat the low score to improve their World Cup record to 8-0. The Men in Green will now play Australia on October 20 in Bengaluru. The Kangaroos are just getting going after beating Sri Lanka to get their first win in three World Cup games.
Pakistan’s Saud Shakeel focuses on Australia following India loss
Shakeel called the loss to India “a bad day” and “a thing of the past.” He also said that the team is focused on their next game and wants to move up in the points table.
The middle-order batsman said, “We played good cricket at the start and won two games at the beginning [of the tournament].” He also said that it was disappointing to lose such a big game, especially to India.
“We have left what happened in Ahmedabad there and have come to Bengaluru with a rejuvenated spirit,” he said.
Australia didn’t have a great start to the World Cup either, and they will also be under a lot of pressure, Shakeel said in response to a question. He also said that his team would try to play at its best against the Kangaroos.
This left-handed batter also said that he had practiced a lot and hard to get ready for white-ball cricket. He did this by practicing at the number he thought he would play at.
“The goal is to go back [home] after winning the World Cup […] I intend to give a match-winning performance and contribute to the team’s win,” Shakeel stated.
“[We] miss our [Pakistani] crowd in Indian stadiums,” the middle-order batsman said in response to a question.
Schedule of Pakistan’s remaining matches
- October 20 – vs Australia in Bengaluru
- October 23 – vs Afghanistan in Chennai
- October 27 – vs South Africa in Chennai
- October 31 – vs Bangladesh in Kolkata
- November 4 – vs New Zealand Bengaluru (Day match)
- November 11 – vs England in Kolkata
The day matches which will start at 10:00am Pakistan Standard Time (PST) while all other matches will be day-night fixtures starting at 01:30pm (PST).
If Pakistan qualify for the semi-finals, they will play in Kolkata.
If India qualifies for the semi-finals, they will play in Mumbai unless playing against Pakistan, in which case they will play in Kolkata.
