Former Pakistan cricketer Ramiz Raja reckons the Babar Azam-led side will have to inculcate a winning mentality irrespective of the fact that it comes in a warm-up match. Raja was critical of the team’s defeat to New Zealand in their first practice match of the ICC Cricket World Cup last week.
Pakistan are one of the title favourites but their build-up the tournament hasn’t been ideal. They suffered a record defeat to India during the Super Four stage of Asia Cup and failed to make it to the final of the tournament.
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Then in the warm-up match against New Zealand, they failed to defend 346 with the 2019 runners-up comfortably chasing down the target in 43.4 overs for a five-wicket win in Hyderabad.
Raja claimed Pakistan are getting into a habit of losing.
“I know it was just a practice game, but a win is a win. And winning becomes a habit. But I feel Pakistan are now getting a habit of losing. First they lost in Asia Cup, and now here. Pakistan scored 345 and it was a great run-chase,” Raja, a former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, said after the match.
The pitches in India are expected to be batting friendly and Raja says if the tracks laid out for the warm-up matches are anything to go by then Pakistan will have to consistently score 400 runs should their bowlers prove ineffective.
“If these are the pitches – and you will get such pitches in India – you will have to score 400 if your bowling keeps misfiring like this. You will have to change your tactics, take risks. And we don’t do that. We play defensively for first 10-15 overs and then shift gears,” Ramiz said.
Pakistan will take on Australia in their final practice game on Tuesday in Hyderabad before kicking off their world cup campaign later this week.
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