Fakhar Zaman rose to the occasion against New Zealand to steer Pakistan to a 21-run win over the Kiwis in their World Cup encounter at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday evening.
Pakistan's World Cup campaign has been inconsistent, and their latest result helped them survive in the tournament.
After winning the toss and putting New Zealand to bat, their bowlers had a tough time in the middle as Kane Williamson and Rachin Ravindra racked up the runs to post 401/6 in their 50 overs.
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Zaman's heroics with the bat that saw him score 126 off 81 deliveries helped Pakistan stay above the DLS par scores during two separate rain delays which ensured that they remain in the hunt for a playoff berth.
Former Pakistan cricketer, Mohammad Hafeez hailed the impact of Zaman and insisted that the Kiwis are terrified of him due to his incredible record against them.
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What did Mohammed Hafeez say about Fakhar Zaman's performance?
"New Zealand is Fakhar's favourite team because he relies on the pace of the bowlers," he assessed.
"He knows how to use and redirect pace, and once he gets in the shot-making zone it is very difficult to get him out. I enjoyed this innings even more because New Zealand brought on spinners, and he used his feet well to take on their spinners.
"There is no doubt that New Zealand is his favourite team, because if you hit 400 runs against one opponent in a year, then think how scared they are. And they were scared of him. Kane Williamson, who is a very experienced captain, did not bring on New Zealand's best bowler until then Tim Southee into the attack. Fakhar paced his innings very well, he kept the run rate at 6-6.5 in the first 15 overs then shifted gear."
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Pakistan can qualify for playoffs - Hafeez makes bold World Cup prediction
Pakistan will play their final group stage match of the 2023 World Cup when they take on England at Eden Gardens on 11 November.
If they can win big against The Three Lions then they can potentially qualify for the semi-finals and Hafeez believes that Babar Azam and Co. certainly have the resources to pull off a massive coup against a struggling England.
"We have made mistakes. It doesn't matter. We will sort it out. But we don't want excuses. Excuses will not make you win. You have to introspect and accept your failures. I just wish and pray that Pakistan wins the next match. I believe they can win and even qualify. They bring out their best when they are in the knockouts," he said.
Pakistan vs England Head-to-Head in ODIs
Pakistan and England have faced off on 91 occasions in ODIs, with Pakistan winning 32 times.
| Won | Lost | Tie/NR | |
| Pakistan | 32 | 56 | 0/3 |
| England | 56 | 32 | 0/3 |
Pakistan vs England predictions, latest betting odds
Despite Pakistan's up-and-down form, the performance against New Zealand will give them some much-needed confidence. Qualification is not entirely in their hands, as they would still most probably require Sri Lanka to beat New Zealand.
England put in an improved bowling performance against Australia but with only Champions Trophy qualification to play for, there is not much they can hope to get out of this game. Pakistan should win, even if not necessarily by a huge margin.
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