Mickey Arthur: Pakistan aiming to win and boost net run rate against New Zealand

• Pakistan aims to win and boost the net run rate against New Zealand.
• Mickey Arthur hints at a shift in Pakistan’s strategy.
• Pakistan has to win by a significant margin to go top of the table.

Director Mickey Arthur has stated that Pakistan’s goals for the ICC Cricket World Cup are to win the match and raise their net run rate against New Zealand.

Pakistan’s tactics for the game that needs to be won tomorrow were revealed during Arthur’s news conference on Friday.

Arthur also hinted at a shift in Pakistan’s strategy while addressing the media following their training session. He understood the significance of not only winning but also outscoring the net run rate of New Zealand.

“Yeah, look, of course it is. It is based on and during the Kolkata 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.

Pakistan has to win this week’s match against New Zealand by a significant margin. Pakistan may go up to the top of the tournament standings with a victory of 84 runs, and they can also get an edge by reaching the target in 35 overs.

Arthur emphasized, nonetheless, that before calculating net run rate, one must recognize New Zealand’s strength.

“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 tournament, 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 said he hoped the team had discovered their greatest game at the ideal moment.

Arthur talked about the players’ ability to adapt to unusual circumstances and their resilience among the constant travel and strict security measures. He said that they had attempted to plan team activities to give people a taste of life outside of the confines, but the limits had been oppressive.

“What has been tough is the fact that we’ve been under a massive amount of security. So, I’ve sort of taken it back. And to be fair, I found it difficult. It’s almost like we’ve been back in the COVID times, where you were almost secluded to your floor and your team room. So much so that their breakfast is in a separate room to everybody else. So, it’s almost, that’s been the tough aspect,” he said.

“It certainly does. It definitely does. And I’ve seen it with some players where it has been, you wake up again and it’s like Groundhog Day. It’s exactly the same. You have breakfast and if it’s a non-training day, you’re back to your room. We’ve tried to have sort of little fun team events and whatever within our team room. But you know, there’s only so much you can recreate. I think the guys have been out three times. We’ve managed to do that with security, get them out to a different restaurant or whatever, just to give them a little bit of a taste of the outside world,” he said when asked if too much restriction is affecting the team.

Arthur disclosed that a comprehensive analysis of the location had been carried out, and a strategy had been developed to accommodate the circumstances. He made it clear that the makeup of the team can change in the future.

In response to a query regarding probable lineup adjustments, Arthur highlighted the unique role of Haris Rauf as a striker and hinted that he would probably keep his spot. But just as they had brought in Fakhar Zaman, who excelled after returning from injury, against Bangladesh, he hinted that there would be a shift in strategy.

“If we make change – and just on Haris Rauf does a real role for us. You know, he’s kind of our striker. So no, we wouldn’t look to change Haris Rauf because he’s got a specific role for us within the team. But there is a potential for a game plan change, yes,” he concluded.

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