MOHALI: When Pakistan began their World Twenty20 championship in Kolkata with an emphatic win against Bangladesh there was this ray of hope that, for a change, Shahid Afridi and Co might show some spine in the tournament.
But a humbling loss against old foes India in Kolkata on Saturday has steamrolled all such expectations and once again Pakistan are facing an uphill battle for survival in a world tournament.
Their task is simple: Pakistan have to somehow counter rampaging New Zealand on Tuesday (today) and then also beat Australia on Friday to stay alive in the ten-nation spectacle.
But for a shaky team like Pakistan it’s like scaling the Everest in stormy conditions.
Back home cricket fans are becoming more and more hostile following each Pakistani defeat. The officials are preparing a guillotine not just for skipper Afridi but for most of the team’s under-performing players.
It’s a very high pressure situation but anybody who saw the Pakistan players train ahead of their game against New Zealand would have thought that it was business as usual for the boys.
They carried out an intense training session which was marred by a setback when pacer Wahab Riaz received a nasty blow on his neck and was taken to the hospital for a check-up.
Team sources told ‘The News’ that the injury is serious enough for Wahab to sit out today’s game.
“But he was going to sit out any way as Wahab hasn’t been bowling well in the tournament,” the source said.
Wahab is likely to make way for spinner Imad Wasim on a Punjab Cricket Association Stadium track that is expected to offer sufficient bounce. Mohammad Nawaz is also fancying his chances of making a World Twenty20 debut.
On Monday, there was plenty of grass on the wicket but Pakistan management was convinced that almost all of it will be shaved off ahead of today’s match.
“The wicket is likely to help both bowlers and batsmen,” a team member told ‘The News’. “After a poor wicket in Kolkata (against India) we are hoping for a better one in Mohali.”
The bad news for Pakistan is that senior batsman Mohammad Hafeez is facing fitness problems and could be forced to miss the must-win game against New Zealand.
“Hafeez is having some niggles and if he failed to recover then there is a possibility that Khalid Latif might get his first opportunity in the tournament,” said the official.