World Cup 2019: 3 most defining moments for each team in this tournament

Pakistan

Pakistan lost plenty of grounds in their very first match against West Indies

#1 The huge loss against West Indies in their opening match

Pakistan’s first match against West Indies proved to be their undoing in the entire tournament. West Indies put Pakistan in to bat and bundled them out for 105 runs. West Indies finished off the chase in 13.4 overs and the match got over in a total of 35 overs.

After this match, Pakistan’s net run rate stood at a negative of 5.802. That left the team to do a lot of catching up towards the later stages of the tournament. In the end, Pakistan lost to New Zealand for a place in the semi-final on net run rate. That first match spelt doom for Pakistan.

#2 Pakistan’s decision to bowl first against India backfired

In Pakistan’s earlier 6 defeats against India in World Cups, they had batted first only once in World Cup 2003. On all the other five occasions, it was India who batted first and took the game away from Pakistan. Besides, Pakistan had a good record against India in the final of ICC Champions Trophy 2017 when they batted first. Everything was pointing out to Pakistan winning the toss and electing to bat first.

But when Sarfraz Ahmed won the toss, he decided to bowl first. Even Kohli was looking to do the same but the strength of the Indian team was poles apart. By electing to bowl, Pakistan played into India’s hand and the moment the Indian openers put on a century partnership, it was game over for Pakistan.

#3 The bizarre tournament rules

The change in the tournament rules was a defining moment for Pakistan. After beating heavyweights England, New Zealand and South Africa, Pakistan finished with 11 points, the same as New Zealand. In fact, New Zealand had lost to Pakistan and England. When two teams finish on the same points, the head-to-head record is normally considered. But in this World Cup, it is the net run rate that will decide which team will go through to the next round. Pakistan lost out to New Zealand on that count.