“Qudrat ka Nizam” trended big time on Twitter after the Babar Azam-led Pakistan nearly crashed out of the Cricket World Cup because New Zealand thrashed Sri Lanka in Bengaluru.

“Qudrat ka Nizam” is often used by netizens, especially cricket supporters from other countries except for Pakistan, to poke fun at Babar Azam and his boys for relying too heavily on rain to qualify in the knockouts.

The Pakistan skipper is the subject of constant trolling on social media as many cricket pundits and fans reckon that he is only capable of scoring runs on placid pitches.

https://twitter.com/Babaristan_/status/1722630735046353322

 

After the Kiwis registered a five-wicket triumph against the islanders with 160 balls to spare, the only way Pakistan can qualify for the semifinals is a victory by 287 runs if they bat first or a win in under three overs if they chase in their next contest versus England.

After New Zealand's victory over Sri Lanka, the Kane Williamson-led team has 10 points with a healthy net run-rate. Pakistan, sitting on 8 points, would need a miracle if they were to secure their place in the semis of the World Cup.

Yet, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam hasn't lost hope as he backed his players to accomplish the “unthinkable” against the defending champions, England, who are already out of the race for the semifinals.

“Anything can happen in cricket. We will try to finish the tournament on a high note. We have a plan for net run-rate and will try to execute it. We have planned about how to play the first 10 overs and what to do after that. If Fakhar Zaman plays for 20-30 overs, we can achieve what's required,” Babar Azam on the eve of Pakistan's clash against England.

“The role of Iftikhar Ahmed and Mohammad Rizwan will also be important during the match,” he added.

“I have been captaining my team for the last three years and I have never felt this way. It's just because I have not performed the way I should have in the World Cup, that's why people are saying that I am under pressure. I am under no pressure. I have been doing this for the last 2.5 or 3 years. I was the one who was performing and I was the one who was the captain. I was applying the same thing,” Babar Azam continued.

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“I don't think I was under any pressure or felt any different because of this. I try to give my best in the field during the fielding. During batting, I think about how I should make runs and make the team win,” he pointed out.

“TV pe baith ke mashwara dena asaan hota hai . Agar mashwara dena hai toh number toh sabke paas hi hai (If someone has to give me advice, everyone has my number. It is easy to give advice on TV. If you want to give me some advice, you can message me),” Babar Azam underlined.

“I bat in accordance with the situation of the match. Sometimes conditions don't allow us to play freely. Every venue has different conditions in India. We are touring India for the first time and didn't know much about the conditions. I admit that I have not been able to performance in line with expectations,” the Pakistan skipper explained.

“About the captaincy – as I said, once we go back to Pakistan or after this match, we will see what happens. But right now, I am not focusing on this, my focus is on the next match,” Babar Azam stated in response to a reporter's query regarding media reports about his plans to quit Pakistan's captaincy.

“I have no idea what decisions you are talking about. The decisions we make here, regarding the selection of players – are the decision of the coaches and the captain. We go with the best combination of conditions and situations. Sometimes we have succeeded and sometimes we haven't,” he noted.

“My goal was to get a good finish in the batting. I didn't have a goal to score 50 or 100. The main thing was to make the team win. The performance that helps the team, not my individual performance. I played slow, I played fast, depending on the situation. I play according to the situation and according to what my team need,” Babar Azam concluded.

Babar Azam and his teammates face England at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata with a semifinal spot on the line on Saturday.

Pakistan has eight points after winning four and losing four games each in the World Cup.

For the unversed, Pakistan has not won the 50-over World Cup in more than three decades, with their lone triumph in the elite tournament coming in Australia in 1992.

Meanwhile, former Pakistan captains Wasim Akram and Misbah-ul-Haq came up with funny ideas to see Babar Azam and Co. still qualify for the semifinals.

“Wasim bhai gave the idea that Pakistan should bat first, then lock England up in their dressing room and get them timed out in 20 minutes to win the match,” a Pakistani cricket show host said where the legendary pacer was one of the panelists.

Misbah-ul-Haq, also on the show, opined: “Allow England to bat first and lock up the dressing room after that. Why let them put up a total at all!”