Pathan, Sehwag weigh in on Pakistan’s win over Bangladesh

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Former Indian cricketers, Virender Sehwag and Irfan Pathan, shared their perspectives on Pakistan's seven-wicket triumph over Bangladesh on Tuesday in Kolkata.

Sehwag downplayed the significance of the victory as a statement against Bangladesh, noting their existing poor performance. He pointed out that the noteworthy aspect was Pakistan's ability to chase down the target in 32 overs, potentially boosting their net run rate (NRR) and aiding their qualification chances if other teams have a lower NRR.

"I wouldn't call that a statement against Bangladesh, they are already playing badly, what statement would give against them?" Sehwag said while speaking to Cricbuzz.

"Yes but what they did well tonight was chasing down the target in 32 overs which will improve their net run rate (NRR) to an extent, it can help if [after round matches] a team has less NRR than Pakistan, it would help them [to qualify]," he added.

Sehwag expressed optimism about Pakistan's prospects, highlighting their upcoming matches against England, a team struggling with just one win in the tournament.

"We are assuming that Pakistan may not qualify for the semi-final, but they have to play two matches, one in Bengaluru and one in here [Kolkata]. Here they will play England who are playing badly as well. And in Bengaluru, they will play New Zealand, if they win [both matches], it can increase chances [of finishing in the top 4] because teams above Pakistan can lose their matches as well.

"It is a great start, Pakistan should think that their World Cup started from today, they should focus entirely on their next two matches, win them and see what happens," he added.

On the other hand, Irfan Pathan, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), commended Pakistan's aggressive play against a demoralized Bangladesh team.

He suggested that Shaheen Shah Afridi deserved the Man of the Match award for his impressive bowling performance, securing figures of 3/23 and becoming the joint leading wicket-taker in the World Cup alongside Adam Zampa.

"Playing against Bangladesh who is down and out in their confidence, Pakistan needed to play aggressive. They did that very well. Shaheen should have been awarded Man of the match," Pathan wrote.

Playing against Bangladesh who is down and out in their confidence, Pakistan needed to play aggressive. They did that very well. Shaheen should have been awarded Man of the match. #PAKvBAN

— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) October 31, 2023

Despite Afridi's notable contribution, the Man of the Match honor went to Fakhar Zaman for his stellar innings of 81 runs off 74 balls, featuring three boundaries and seven sixes.