As Pakistan prepares for a crucial ICC Cricket World Cup clash against New Zealand, team director Mickey Arthur has expressed his focus on both winning the game and improving their net run rate.
Speaking during the press conference, which shed light on Pakistan’s strategy for the must-win match, Arthur also indicated a change in Pakistan’s game plan.
The team director acknowledged the importance of not just winning but also surpassing New Zealand’s net run rate.
“Of course it is. It is based on and during the Calcutta chase, I had every scenario in my pocket as to if we won in 25 overs, if we won in 26 overs, 27 overs. So, we kind of knew as to how we were going to eat into the net run rate of particularly New Zealand,” he explained, underlining the team’s strategic planning.
However, Arthur emphasised the need to respect New Zealand’s strength before diving into net run rate calculations.
“The first thing for us, though, is we’ve got to respect our position. New Zealand are a very, very good team. I think they’re very well-coached. I think they’re very well-led. I think they’re a very experienced cricket team,” he said, acknowledging New Zealand’s quality.
Regarding Pakistan’s performance in the tour-nament, Arthur said: “I don’t think we’ve played to our full potential yet,” while praising the complete performance against Bangladesh as an example of their capabilities.
He expressed hope that the team had found their best game at the right time.
