The ICC World Cup 2019 is now reaching a stage where the teams, that are still alive in the tournament, will be fighting it out for a spot in the playoffs.
And after their close win over Afghanistan, Pakistan moved to the fourth place in the standings, pushing hosts England down to the fifth spot.
Sarfaraz Ahmed and co will now face Bangladesh in their last and final match of the group competition, which is a must-win for them if they want to make it to the semis. But their win won’t be enough to see them through. Both England and Bangladesh have to lose their remaining group matches to make sure Pakistan qualify for the semi-finals.
And hence, former Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Akhtar said that his entire country would be backing India to defeat England in their World Cup tie on Sunday, 30 June (jump to 7:30 mark in the video below).
“India, all of Pakistan is standing with you. And I request that all the Pakistani based in England, should also support India. Because if India beat England, the game is over. Pakistan then has to win just one game to qualify.”Shoaib Akhtar
The former pacer in a video on his Youtube channel said, “Very odd, that as a Pakistani I’m saying this, and requesting all the countrymen and the Pakistan’s who are living abroad – please support whoever you think is right. But another option – you drink their waters, so you better support them. You live in England, so support England. You eat in England, so support England. However, as the Pakistanis in Pakistan, we want Pakistan to qualify. If England get knocked out and Pakistan win against Bangladesh, the way will open up for us”.
Akhtar also said that he would love for an India vs Pakistan semifinal at the ICC World Cup, and could also see Sarfaraz Ahmed and co reaching the summit clash of the quadrennial tournament.
“So I want the whole of Pakistan to back India, on social media and when it comes to public news. Because we need England to be out of this tournament.”
“And if India top the points table, and Pakistan finish fourth, the semifinal will be between the two teams. I want to see this match. The entire world wants to see this match. I know that Pakistan will ruin India’s happiness in the semifinals because somehow we’re going to manage to reach the finals” Akhtar said.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)