In a recent press conference leading up to the Pakistan vs England match on November 11, Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s head coach, expressed optimism about his team’s chances of reaching the semi-finals in the World Cup 2023. However, in a rather peculiar statement, he mentioned that Pakistan might need “a bit of divine help” to secure a spot in the final four.
Despite facing a rollercoaster performance at the World Cup, including losses to India, Australia, Afghanistan, and South Africa, Pakistan has shown signs of resurgence with consecutive victories against Bangladesh and New Zealand.
Addressing the crucial upcoming game against England, Arthur stated that Pakistan needs divine help.
“I’m unsure about our performance in this competition. I genuinely believe we’ll make it to the semi-finals, but we’ll have to wait and see. What’s certain is that our fate will be in our hands this Saturday. If we receive a bit of divine help, reaching the semi-finals is possible, but it’s important that we perform well. We had a perfect game once, I believe, and that was against Bangladesh,” he said.
Reflecting on Fakhar Zaman’s outstanding century against New Zealand, Arthur praised the opener for his exceptional contribution.
“Ever since Fakhar (Zaman) joined, he’s been truly remarkable. In campaigns like this, sometimes you need something to spark it, and Fakhar has certainly done that for us. We’re aware that he’s exceptional when he’s in good form. I’ve always been a strong supporter of Fakhar because I believe he has the ability to turn games around,” he concluded.