Fakhar Zaman's scintillating performance against New Zealand garnered praise from cricket legends Shahid Khan Afridi, and Mushtaq Ahmed on Saturday.
Speaking on Samaa TV, Shahid Afridi lauded Fakhar Zaman as a true "match-winner", emphasising that his aggressive batting style exemplifies his true essence. Afridi expressed the belief that Fakhar Zaman should maintain the same approach in the upcoming matches.
Mushtaq Ahmed, echoing similar sentiments, saying, "Pakistan now find themselves in a situation where there is nothing to lose. He highlighted that if Pakistan continue to embrace the same approach and mindset displayed by Fakhar Zaman, it could herald a transformation in the team's brand of cricket".
– Fakhar shines –
Fakhar Zaman's spectacular innings of 126 from 81 balls, coupled with Babar Azam's stellar performance, propelled Pakistan to a hard-fought 21-run victory (DLS method) over New Zealand in the 35th match of the World Cup, held in Bengaluru on Saturday.
As Pakistan's World Cup campaign unfolds, their best-case scenario now hinges on a crucial victory against England, coupled with an element of fortune—hoping that Sri Lanka can pull off a significant upset by defeating New Zealand on November 9 in Bengaluru.
However, the tournament still offers a glimmer of mathematical possibility for Afghanistan to secure 12 points if they manage to win both of their remaining games.
Even the task of winning one out of their two remaining matches, no matter how daunting it may appear, would propel Afghanistan to 10 points. In such a scenario, the fate of Pakistan and Afghanistan's progression would be determined by a net run rate showdown.
