Pakistan icon Waqar Younis believes the team will go into the 2019 ICC World Cup in England firmly as the underdogs.
Pakistan are currently on a 10-match losing run in ODIs and were recently whitewashed 4-0 by hosts England. Despite being the No1 ranked team in T20Is, Sarfraz Ahmed and his men have failed to find the same kind of success in the 50-over format.
Based on their recent form, Waqar feels Pakistan could be in deep trouble if they suffer a poor start in the competition.
“I think Pakistan arrive as underdogs and they need to start well. If they lose a couple of early games, then it will be an uphill task for them after that,” the former pacer told the ICC.
“Despite everything having gone on in the last couple of months, the country is behind the team. They all believe these guys can win the World Cup.
“If we can get off to a strong start, then you never know this team has a history of producing magic.”
Pakistan were recently beaten 4-0 by England.
While their recent form has not been too encouraging, the former Pakistan international is taking comfort from the team’s batting displays in the England series where they consistently scored over 300.
“The positive for Pakistan is that they have started scoring big totals. They have showed they are capable of scoring 300 plus and we saw that in their series against England,” he said.
“The batsmen have got used to the surfaces very quickly and have piled on the runs. They are all in good form, especially Babar Azam and Haris Sohail.
“The bowling is moving in a good direction, with Wahab Riaz coming back into the side and Mohammad Amir restored. I am intrigued to see how Mohammad Amir gets on.”
Pakistan open their 2019 World Cup campaign on Friday when they take on two-time champions West Indies at Trent Bridge.