'Don't waste new life'
Pakistan captain Misbahul Haq urged his team to build on the momentum gained over the last two weeks as they clash with Ireland in a must-win World Cup game at the Adelaide Oval today.
"We have got a new life in this tournament and we must ensure we do not waste it," said the 40-year-old Misbah, who along with teammate Shahid Afridi, will quit one-day cricket once their World Cup ends.
"There are four must-wins games to play starting with the one against Ireland. Then three more and you could win the tournament, so our approach has to be straightforward.
"There will be no second chance. Just go there, be positive, try to get wickets when you bowl and score runs when you bat. The bowlers have done very well so far, it's now the turn of the batsmen to deliver."
Misbah's four half-centuries in five matches have stood out in an otherwise uninspiring batting display where Pakistan have crossed 250 just once when they hammered 339 for six against the amateurs from the United Arab Emirates.
"The key in this World Cup has been to keep wickets in hand till the 35th over and then go for the runs. I think teams who have been able to do this have won 90 percent of the time.
"We would like someone to take responsibility and bat the entire innings so that the momentum can be built from the other end. We have four good seamers in form, its now up to the batsmen to put runs on the board."
Ireland scored a famous three-wicket win over Pakistan when the teams last met in the World Cup in 2007 and Misbah conceded his team needed to be at their best to make the quarterfinals.
"That was eight years ago and we are not looking back, but I agree Ireland are a dangerous team. Everybody knows their strength is batting. They have a pretty mature batting line-up."
5 Facts
- Sarfraz Ahmed needs four dismissals to become the seventh wicketkeeper to take 50 ODI dismissals for Pakistan
- Ed Joyce has been dropped five times in the tournament, the joint-most with Lahiru Thirimanne
- Niall O'Brien and William Porterfield need to put on 55 runs to become the second Irish pair to record an aggregate ODI partnership of 1,000 runs, after Porterfield and Paul Stirling
- Shahid Afridi has hit 350 sixes in ODIs, 80 more than anyone else
- India's total of 300-7 against Pakistan was the only first innings total of 300 or more in the last 21 ODIs at Adelaide
Comments