ICC World Cup 2023: ‘Four losses surely cannot define who we are as a team’

Pakistan captain Babar Azam inspects the pitch during a practice session on the eve of their World Cup match against Bangladesh at Eden Gardens in Kolkata yesterday. Pic/PTI

Pakistan began as one of the favourites to win the World Cup title, and they did no harm to that perception by winning the first two matches in grand fashion. Three weeks and four losses on-the-trot later, they find themselves at the exit door, waiting for a miracle.

"We were determined to be in control of our destiny at this stage of the tournament, but we're not. All we can do now is prepare well for the three remaining pool games and then allow fate to hopefully lean on us in terms of our semi-final hopes," Pakistan's head coach Grant Bradburn spelt it out on the eve of Tuesday's clash with a struggling Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens. The 57-year-old Kiwi was quick to take down the favourites tag with a "I'm not sure where you get that from", pointing out that even the ICC rankings can be misleading.

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"We know they [ICC rankings] are skewed because we don't get to play India, and a lot of the top nations who haven't been to Pakistan of late. We were No. 5 in April and became No. 1 before the tournament, and that might be where you get the term favourites from. But we're realistic; we haven't been the best in the world yet, which highlights where we are in this tournament right now," he said. "Of course, four losses cannot define who we are as players, coaches or a team," he reminded, drawing on Friday's fight against South Africa to make his point.

Saying they don't really feel isolated because teams don't travel to Pakistan often enough and the players don't get to play in the IPL, Bradburn says the priorities lay elsewhere "when Mickey [Arthur] and I we took over six months ago, we recognised that the team was playing a gear or two below where we wanted. So, we set a new course," he said, suggesting that preparation for the World Cup was not good. Brushing aside suggestions that the slide began because of the defeat to India, Bradburn said: "Ahmedabad was just a huge and unusual experience of playing in front of a 1,30,000 supporters of the opposition."

Bradburn is keen to see one of the top four batsmen "going into the 40th over", something Bangladesh too need after the loss of early wickets have repeatedly pegged them back. The ‘Tigers' will be desperate to climb a rung or two on the league ladder to qualify for the 2025 Champions Trophy as one of the seven teams in addition to hosts Pakistan.