ICC World Cup 2019: Mickey Arthur Asks ICC To Revise Their Net Run-Rate Rule

Pakistan failed to make it to the top four of the ongoing ICC World Cup 2019 falling behind New Zealand in the net run-rate. After their exit, head coach Mickey Arthur has urged ICC to give the head-to-head record higher priority than the net run-rate.

Arthur urges ICC to reconsider net run-rate rule

The Men in Greens ended their campaign with a 68-run win over Bangladesh at the Lord’s on July 5 (Friday). Batting first, Pakistan banked on Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam along with a quickfire knock from Imad Wasim to post 315 runs on the board. Mustafizur Rahman picked a fifer, but the other Bangladeshi bowlers failed to rally behind him as Imad scored quick runs in the death. During the chase, Shakib Al Hasan kept Bangladesh in the hunt, but Shaheen Afridi’s six-wicket haul was enough to hand Pakistan their fifth win of the tournament.

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Despite the win, Pakistan had to bow out falling behind New Zealand’s net run-rate. Mickey Arthur asked ICC to reconsider the net run-rate and emphasise more on the head-to-head record. Arthur also added that their first defeat to West Indies in the World Cup opener cost them the tournament.

“I would have liked the ICC to consider head to head because tonight we would be in the semi-final. It is disappointing, and it just goes back to our first game (a heavy defeat) against the West Indies,” Mickey Arthur said.

“We had an opportunity to beat Australia and we didn’t take that. Those are the two nightmares I’m going to have,” he added.

Furthermore, Mickey Arthur revealed the scenarios from the dressing room saying that people are not happy with the fact they have failed to qualify. He also congratulated the four teams who qualify for the semifinals and hope that the best team win the World Cup.

“What the system has done to us is that after one very poor game, you really battle to recover again. So it’s a very disappointed dressing room, no congratulations going on because we haven’t qualified. Congratulations to the four who have, I think they’ve played the best cricket so far and may the best team win,” Arthur concluded.