Pakistan became no. 1 in ODIs by beating Australia's C, New Zealand's D teams, says Misbah
Pakistan became No.1 for two times this year
Former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq has said that the Men in Green became No.1 in ODI Rankings by beating Australia's C and New Zealand's D team.
Pakistan became No.1 for two times this year, however, they sit at two currently in the rankings. While talking on a local sports channel, Misbah-ul-Haq stressed that Pakistan need to think realistically about where they stand as a team.
"New Zealand came to Pakistan and Australia too, obviously they were the top sides. But their C and D teams came. We played against them and won and our rating points increased," Misbah opined.
"Later on West Indies came and we won. We should keep actual facts in mind and not celebrate becoming No.1. We have to think realistically where we stand," he added.
Misbah believes if Pakistan will play against their top team now, the opposition will have a competitive edge.
"Our best XI is playing while the opposition is fielding a third-tier team and still matches are being competitive. The ranking doesn't matter when Pakistan will play against their top team, they will have an edge," he said.
It must be noted that Pakistan beat Australia at home by 2-1 last year in March while they thumped New Zealand by 4-1 in May 2023.
Pakistan start their World Cup campaign on October 6 in Hyderabad against the Netherlands.
It must be noted Pakistan lost both of their warm-up games against New Zealand and Australia. New Zealand thumped Pakistan by five wickets while Australia claimed the win by 14 runs.
The ICC World Cup 2023 will take place in India with 10 teams fighting for the elusive title across 10 venues from October 5 to November 19, with the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad hosting the tournament opener and the final.
The Cricket World Cup will be played in the round-robin format with all teams playing against each other for a total of 45 league matches.
The top four teams will qualify for the semifinals, which will be held in Mumbai on November 15 and in Kolkata on November 16. The semi-finals and the final will have reserve days.
Pakistan's schedule for the ICC World Cup 2023
October 6 — vs Netherlands in Hyderabad
October 10 — vs Sri Lanka in Hyderabad
October 14 — vs India in Ahmedabad
October 20 — vs Australia in Bengaluru
October 23 — vs Afghanistan in Chennai
October 27 — vs South Africa in Chennai
October 31 — vs Bangladesh in Kolkata
November 4 — vs New Zealand Bengaluru (Day match)
November 11 — vs England in Kolkata
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