It will not be a “friendly neighbourhood” today at the Cricket World Cup with Pakistan taking on Afghanistan at Headingley and New Zealand squaring off against Tasman-rivals Australia at Lord’s on Saturday.
Pakistan are high on optimism after back-to-back victories over South Africa and New Zealand and would like to carry forward the winning momentum against Afghanistan in a bid to qualify for the semi-finals.
Bottom-placed Afghanistan have lost all their seven matches and have no scope of making it to the last four. However, they might play spoilsport for Pakistan, especially after giving top-ranked India a scare in their World Cup encounter.
Meanwhile, New Zealand would be seeking to secure their semi-final berth when they take on Australia in a crucial league match on Saturday. The Kiwis have 11 points from seven matches and need at least a win from their remaining two outings to be assured of a fourth straight World Cup semi-final berth.
Australia, who became the first team to enter the semi-finals after defeating hosts England, would want to continue their winning momentum. Barring the defeat against India, defending champions Australia have done nothing wrong in this tournament.
