Pakistan opener Imam-ul-Haq remains confident in his team's ability to recover from their recent setbacks as they approach a crucial phase in their World Cup 2023 campaign. Pakistan is scheduled to face Afghanistan in Chennai on Monday, October 23, in their fifth match of the tournament.
Pakistan initiated their World Cup journey with victories over the Netherlands and a record-breaking chase against Sri Lanka. However, they faced a significant setback when they were defeated by arch-rivals India by seven wickets in a highly anticipated match in Ahmedabad on October 14. Following this defeat, Pakistan had a five-day break to regroup, but they were met with another challenge in a high-scoring contest against Australia in Bengaluru on October 20, where they fell short in their pursuit of a 368-run target.
During the match against Australia, Pakistan's openers, Imam-ul-Haq and Abdullah Shafique, both scored fifties, but they were unable to convert them into substantial innings, and the form of captain Babar Azam came under scrutiny.
In their upcoming match against Afghanistan, Pakistan anticipates a spin-friendly pitch in Chennai, posing a different challenge. Nonetheless, Imam is confident that Pakistan can effectively handle the spin threat and get their World Cup campaign back on track.
"We have played 4 matches and we are 2-2. We are confident. We will accept that we did not play well in the last 2 matches. We will have to perform up to the mark. It matters a lot how you play on the given day. You can talk as much as you want. But it matters how you play on the day. We have talked about it. You will see a new team tomorrow in Chennai," Imam told the press in Chennai on Sunday.
Imam believes that Pakistan has the potential to break into the top four of the World Cup 2023 points table if they manage to secure victories in both of their matches in Chennai.
Following the clash with Afghanistan, Pakistan is set to face an in-form South Africa side on Thursday. South Africa rebounded impressively after a surprising loss to the Netherlands, defeating defending champions England by a massive margin of 229 runs in Mumbai.
As Pakistan looks to regain their momentum in the tournament, they recognize the importance of these upcoming matches and the opportunity they present to climb the points table and strengthen their position in the World Cup.
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