Jasprit Bumrah congratulated Mohammed Rizwan on his dismissal during the India vs Pakistan match.©AFP
Former Indian speedster Sreesanth predicts USA will make it to the Super 8s over Babar Azam’s Pakistan in the T20 World Cup and believes the co-hosts of the major event “deserve it”. Pakistan was given a breather on Wednesday as arch rivals India won their match against the US, keeping alive Azam’s side’s hopes of qualifying for the next stage of the major event with the only remaining group spot. India won a hard-fought seven-wicket victory over co-hosts USA. The win has seen Rohit Sharma’s side qualify for the Super 8s stage.
Pakistan’s fate remains uncertain. The men in green need Ireland to do them a favour by beating the US on Friday, which would bring qualification into question on net run rate. If the US beats Ireland, the men in green’s campaign will end on a downturn, even though they play one more game on Sunday.
However, with a bit of luck, Pakistan could qualify for the Super 8 with a better NRR if they beat Ireland in their final group stage match.
The former India pacer believes it would be a miracle if Pakistan can make it to the next stage.
“I don’t think Pakistan is taking the necessary steps. They are not focusing on the domestic league. All the legends like Wasim bhai (Akram) and Waqar Younis have said that the entire system needs to be changed. So, they are wrong. I just want to wish Pakistan good luck in the next World Cup. It will be a miracle if they bounce back from this. I don’t think it will be easy,” Sreesanth, who appears as an expert on the ‘Catch and Bold’ show, told ANI.
Pakistani fans will be keen to watch the USA vs Ireland match at the Florida Stadium, where the Americans have displayed discipline, sharpness and skill to win two of their three matches against Pakistan and Canada.
Though India won the match, the USA team also performed well, with Shivam Dube and Suryakumar Yadav keeping their cool to secure victory for the Men in Blue.
USA captain Monank Patel, Nitish Kumar, Saurabh Nesralvakar and many other star players left their mark on the field with eye-catching performances.
Sreesanth feels the co-hosts deserve to progress to the next round and take on top teams to continue their fairytale story at the flagship event.
“One of the things about the T20 World Cup is that every team looks strong on paper. When it comes to planning and execution, the reason the US team won is because of the planning and execution over the last two years, they’ve worked so hard. I would love to see the US team playing in the top eight. They deserve it. They’ve done more than enough to be in the top eight,” he added.
Pakistan will conclude their group stage campaign by taking on Ireland in Florida on Sunday.
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