LONDON: They might not be complaining publicly, but privately the Pakistan camp is fuming.Well-placed sources told ‘The News’ on Monday that India’s “Birmingham crawl” that saw the previously unbeaten team falling to England quite tamely didn’t go well with the Pakistan camp.Pakistan were hoping that India, one of the firm favourites for the title, would beat England at Edgbaston on Sunday. Such a result would have improved Pakistan’s chances of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals as a victory against Bangladesh in their final group game at Lord’s on Friday would have earned them a spot in the last four.But the Indians, chasing 338 to keep their unblemished record in the tournament, didn’t show much intent and finished with 308-5, losing by 31 runs.The result pushed Pakistan closer to elimination because they would virtually be out of the race for semi-final qualification if England beat New Zealand in their last group game on Wednesday at Chester le Street.“When people started fearing that India would lose on purpose to dent Pakistan’s chances of reaching the semi-finals, they (Pakistan players and officials) didn’t believe it. But now most of them believe there was something fishy about India’s chase at Edgbaston,” said a source close to the Pakistan team.While the Pakistanis decided against making their suspicions public, there was a big outcry against India’s lack of intent in Sunday’s game.Former Pakistan captain Waqar Younis questioned India’s sportsmanship after the defeat."It's not who you are...What you do in life defines who you are...Me not bothered if Pakistan gets to the semis or not but one thing is for sure...Sportsmanship of few Champions got tested and they failed badly," Waqar tweeted.Whether India would lose on purpose to eliminate Pakistan was a talking point in the lead up to Sunday’s match.Former Pakistan Test cricketers Sikandar Bakht and Basit Ali had openly alleged that India would intentionally lose against England so that Pakistan cannot reach the semis.Waqar, meanwhile, wasn’t the only one to criticise Virat Kohli and Co.Critics and fans, most of them from India, lashed out at India and especially the seasoned MS Dhoni on his poor strike rate in Sunday’s match.Chasing 338, India had a chance as they needed 71 from 36 balls with Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav on the crease. But the pair, known for their pinch-hitting abilities, decided against going for the boundaries and opted for singles.India’s mainstream daily Times of India labeled the run-chase as the “Birmingham crawl”."It's not about winning but it's about showing the intent to win," a fan lamented on Twitter.Former India Test batsman Sanjay Manjrekar found India’s cautious approach in the death overs as “baffling”.Saurav Ganguly, the former India captain, said he was unable to find any explanation for the tame batting display by India.New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum was equally surprised.“It was bizarre,” he said. “These guys have finished games so many times before and from harder positions. They didn’t really play a shot towards the end. We all expected a tight finish but India’s big finale never came.”
from The News International - Sports https://ift.tt/2XlCjc3
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