Former Pakistani batter Mohammad Yousuf pinned his hopes on "Qudrat Ka Nizam" after Sri Lanka's Maheesh Theeskhana and Dilshan Madhushanka batted deep and took their side to a 171-run total in the 41st match of the ICC World Cup 2023 at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, India, on Thursday.
Theekshana created history by playing the most balls among No. 9 to 11 batters in World Cup history after playing whopping 91-balls.
Other than those two and Kusal Perera (51 off 28), other Sri Lankan batters looked helpless against the Kiwis' bowling attack and failed to keep their wickets and were bundled out for just 171 runs.
However, despite what looks like a certain loss for Sri Lanka, Yousuf has once again put his trust in "Qudrat Ka Nizam".
"Sri Lankan tail Enders going deep in first inning. This last wicket partnership may bring Qudrat ka Nizam (rain) which helps Pakistan #SLvsNZ #CWC23INDIA," Hafeez wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
By the time this story was filed, New Zealand were batting at 32-0 in 5 overs with Devon Conway (23*) and Rachin Ravindra (9*) on the crease during their 172-run target chase.
If New Zealand chase this target in 25 overs, Pakistan will have to beat England by 270+ runs or with 275 balls to spare, meaning they would have to chase the target in 4.1 overs.
India, South Africa and Australia have already booked their place in the mega event's semi-final and as of now, three teams — New Zealand, Afghanistan and Pakistan — are fighting for the one vacant position.
As things stand, the Black Caps seem to be in a dominating position to qualify and they are closely followed by Pakistan while Afghanistan's position is the weakest courtesy of their negative net run rate (NRR).
A win tonight would all but confirm Kane Williamson's men's place in the knockout stage.
