Pakistan’s 2023 World Cup campaign has taken a grim turn, with a series of disheartening performances that have led to the team setting some unfortunate records. Here’s a closer look at their struggles in the tournament:
1. Failing to Defend 270+ Runs Twice
Pakistan has a rich history of World Cup success, especially in defending totals of 270 or more. From 1975 to 2019, they successfully defended such totals 14 out of 15 times, with only one failure. In the 2023 World Cup, the team faced two instances where they struggled to defend scores of 270 or more. They posted 282 against Afghanistan, who comfortably chased it down. In another match, they set a target of 270 while batting first against South Africa, but the Proteas also chased it successfully.
2. First-Ever Defeat Against Afghanistan
Before the 2023 World Cup, Pakistan had a perfect record against Afghanistan in ODI cricket, winning all seven of their previous encounters. However, in this tournament, Afghanistan secured their first-ever victory against Pakistan on the biggest stage. This defeat was particularly painful for Pakistan, as many fans and experts had favored them to win, highlighting Pakistan’s reputation as an “unpredictable” team.
3. Four Consecutive Defeats in World Cup
Pakistan’s historical streak of never losing four consecutive World Cup matches from 1975 to 2019 was broken in the 2023 World Cup. They started their campaign with two back-to-back victories against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka. However, after those initial successes, Pakistan faced a string of four consecutive losses, falling to India, Australia, Afghanistan, and South Africa. Particularly, they hadn’t lost to South Africa in an ODI or T20I World Cup match since 1999, as a result of their defeat. The Men in Green’s poor performance in this year’s competition is highlighted by the fact that they are losing four straight games for the first time in their World Cup history.
Despite these records and their struggles, Pakistan still has a slim chance of making it to the semi-finals. While it may seem unrealistic, cricket has a way of producing unexpected outcomes, and Pakistan will be hoping for a miracle turnaround in their remaining matches.
