‘Told Fakhar if he bats 15 overs…’: Babar’s rain, Zaman’s DLS prediction wins it | Cricket

In a match hit with two rain interruptions, Pakistan came out on top against New Zealand in dramatic manner to keep their 2023 World Cup semi-final hopes alive, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday. Babar Azam and Co. needed a win to revive their faltering campaign in India, and had to rely on their experience and luck, as they ended up sealing a 21-run win.

Rain was already predicted to happen in the second-half of the match and Pakistan won the toss, opted to field. The Black Caps began on a strong note and they were at their destructive best in the first innings. After the dismissal of opener Devon Conway (35), all-rounder Rachin Ravindra set-up a thrilling partnership with returning captain Kane Williamson. Williamson narrowly missed out on a ton, smacking 95 off 79 balls, including 10 fours and three fifties. But Ravindra ended up getting his third ton, becoming the first batter to get three centuries in their debut World Cup. Ravindra was eventually dismissed for 108 off 94 balls, packed with 15 fours and a six.

New Zealand were given a strong finish, as Daryl Mitchell (28), Mark Chapman (39), Glenn Phillips (41) and Mitchell Santner (26*) also made crucial contributions. The Kiwis posted 401/6 in 50 overs, setting a target of 402 runs. Meanwhile for Pakistan’s bowling department, Mohammad Wasim Jr took three wickets.

It looked like New Zealand’s batting order had done enough to knock Pakistan out of semifinal contention. But Fakhar Zaman came out and went on a rampage, smashing the fastest World Cup ton by a Pakistan cricketer, putting his team well ahead on DLS before the rain came. He didn’t just stop there, and kept his wicket after the first rain break. He smacked Ish Sodhi for a few more sixes to take them further ahead as Pakistan finished at 200/1 in 25.3 overs, winning by 21 runs due to the revised DLS target.

Fakhar ended up registering 126* off 81 balls, hammering eight fours and 11 sixes. Meanwhile, Babar also remained unbeaten with a knock of 66 runs off 63 deliveries, whacking six fours and two sixes. Speaking after the match, Babar gave everyone an insight into Pakistan’s tactics and also revealed his conversation with Fakhar.

“When we came to the dressing room, just passed message we need good partnerships. Said to Fakhar if he plays 15 overs we’ll be ahead. Back of the mind we knew rain was coming. Full credit to Fakhar. We knew there was a short boundary and utilised it. We’re just trying to give 100 percent. You never know. We’re just going match by match,” he said.

Meanwhile, Fakhar stated that his side wanted to play with an ‘aggressive mindset’ which helped them secure the win. “We were chasing 400 and that was our plan, just to see off the first 4 overs and thankfully it was my day. To be honest, I was lucky a few times but really enjoyed this innings. We know every game is a do or die for us and we have decided to play aggressively and we are playing with that mind so everybody is just trying to score runs. This is one of the best (knocks in ODI cricket) but I will always rank my 193 in South Africa highly, but I really enjoyed this game and New Zealand are a great side, so definitely one of the best,” he said.

“We were also praying that we don’t want any more game to happen (while waiting anxiously in the dressing room during the rain break) because it was already 9 and half hours and we knew that DLS would come into the equation. We wanted to play with that aggressive mindset and we will play aggressively in the next game also,” he further added.

Ahead of their final league match against England, Pakistan not only have to get a win, but also hope that other results go their way. They are now level on points with Williamson’s side and Afghanistan, but New Zealand are ahead of the two on net run rate. New Zealand’s is +0.398 and Pakistan boast +0.036, compared to Afghanistan’s -0.330. The Afghans also have an extra game in hand.