APROPOS the editorial ‘Cricket World Cup’ (May26). The defeat in the warm-up match against Afghanistan cannot be considered an average or a reasonable performance by a team contesting the 2019 World Cup.

This result should be taken as a wake-up call, as legendary fast bowler, Sarfaraz Nawaz mentioned recently. The team should not be demoralised but strive to make efforts to overcome its weaknesses, mainly in the fielding department.

Although this was the fifth successive defeat, as an optimistic supporter of Pakistani cricket I am hopeful that in the case of two upsets among the top four teams of the event, the unpredictable Pakistan may, surprisingly, earn a berth in the semis. And then, the1992 World Cup history can also be repeated.

In the 2019 World Cup contests, 300 plus runs would be considered a good target to defend.

Even in some cases, a chase of 400 plus runs may win the game. During the last five overs, the dot balls, fall of the wickets and hitting boundaries and sixes will turn the tide. Our team is capable of getting the full benefit of these death-overs, only if they play skillfully.

S. Zaki Hasan
Karachi

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2019