In order to qualify for the World Cup 2023 semi-final, Pakistan have a daunting task at their hands. The Men in Green need to beat defending champions England by at least 287 runs to eliminate New Zealand as the fourth semi-finalist on the basis of net run rate.

However, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam remains optimistic and has said that his team has not given up hope of securing a thumping victory over England.

"It's not like this matter is not in the back of the mind. It's in our mind and we will try to do it," Babar said in a pre-match presser in Kolkata on Friday (November 10).

"But we can't just go in and start firing blindly - we want that but with proper planning, how we want to play the first 10 overs, then the next 20 - how we have to achieve that target.

"There are a lot of things in this, like partnerships, which player will stay on the pitch for how long. I would say if Fakhar is in the match for 20 or 30 overs, we can achieve that. We can do this and we have planned for this," he added.

Babar Azam has come under the scanner for his failure as captain and batter in this World Cup. Pakistan have managed to win four out of eight games in the competition so far while Babar has registered scores of 5, 10, 50, 18, 74, 50, 9 and 66* in eight innings. In particular, his strike rate of 82.69 has drawn him criticism from fans and experts alike.

Amid the scrutiny, Babar hit back at critics stating that it is easy to give advice on TV.

"I have not performed the way I should have in the World Cup, that's why people are saying that I am under pressure. I am under no pressure," the 29-year-old stated.

"Everyone has their own point of view, their own way of thinking. Everyone is saying something different. He should be like this, or like that.

"If someone has to give me advice, everyone has my number. It is easy to give advice on TV. If you want to give me some advice, you can message me," he further remarked.

(With TOI Inputs)