Pakistan face Netherlands in their CWC 2023 opener in Hyderabad on October 6.
Pakistan had defeated Australia at home 2-1 in the ODI series in 2022. On the other hand, New Zealand toured Pakistan in April this year and lost the five-match ODI series 4-0. This propelled the Men in Green side to the no.1 spot in ODIs for the first time.
Notably, New Zealand had sent a depleted side as most of their first-choice players were playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL 2023), which clashed with the Pakistan tour.
“New Zealand and Australia came to Pakistan. They were the top-ranked teams. Their C and D team came. We won against them and our rating points increased. Then West Indies and other teams came and we won against them as well. We became happy by achieving the No. 1 rank, but we should keep facts in mind,” Misbah said on A Sports channel and was quoted by Cricket Pakistan.
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“Australia’s C team even won one match against us. Then New Zealand’s D team came, as all their main players went for IPL. We need to realistically think about where we stand as our main team is playing and their third-tier players are playing, yet they are getting so close to us. The ranking doesn’t matter,” he added.
Along with Misbah, Pakistan legend Wasim Akram was also part of the discussion. He stated that a team must celebrate being No. 1 in the ICC rankings only if they are able to hold on to the top spot for a decent period of time.
“We should celebrate the No. 1 ranking after remaining on top for six months at least,” Akram said.
Here is the video:
Meanwhile, Pakistan is clashing with the Netherlands in their ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 opening match in Hyderabad on October 6, 2023.