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Pakistan players (Source: Twitter)
Pakistan's 2023 ODI World Cup journey has almost come to an end after New Zealand grabbed a convincing five-wicket win over Sri Lanka on Thursday. They now need to come up with something miraculous against England to secure the last spot in the semi-final. Babar Azam and Co. will aim to end their poor campaign in India on a high note against the defending champions on November 11.
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Meanwhile, in a video circulating on social media, Pakistan all-rounder Iftikhar Ahmed can be seen imitating the bowling style of Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan. Pakistani cricketers including Hasan Ali, Usama Mir and Mohammad Haris are understood to be playing a game of imitating or copying the styles of other players.
When it was Iftikhar's turn, he was asked to demonstrate the bowling style of the Afghan ace spinner Rashid and he did so in the most hilarious manner. Hasan, Mir and Haris couldn't stop laughing as Ifthikar imitated the 25-year-old's bowling action twice. Fans are giving interesting reactions to the video shared by Pakistani journalist Farid Khan on his X handle.
Watch the viral video below:
Iftikhar Ahmed trying to copy Rashid Khan's bowling action 😂😂😂 #CWC23 #NZvsSL pic.twitter.com/tFvtPtWRmY
— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) November 9, 2023
Pakistan, Afghanistan did not get help from Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka's five-wicket defeat against New Zealand was disappointing not only for them but also for Pakistan and Afghanistan. Had the Lions won this match, it would have benefited their Asian rivals as New Zealand are now almost assured of a semi-final berth. The Black Caps were already ahead of the other two teams in terms of Net Run Rate (NRR) and now they have gone miles ahead after Thursday's win.
Afghanistan are virtually out of contention with a -0.338 NRR, needing an unthinkable margin of win against dominant South Africa in their final group match. Pakistan are pretty much the only other contender but their NRR (+0.036) situation looks quite hopeless. The Men in Green started their campaign with two straight wins but then suffered back-to-back defeats, including against Afghanistan.