Rejuvenated Pak in battle of survival vs NZ

Birmingham: Their campaign revived by a win over South Africa, Pakistan will continue their battle of survival when they face an unstoppable New Zealand in a must-win World Cup clash here on Wednesday.

Pakistan faced severe criticism after their loss to arch-rivals India but their 49-run win over South Africa breathed life into their campaign but the road ahead is a tough one.

With just two wins and three losses, Pakistan are at the seventh spot with five points in six games. Sarfaraz Ahmed and his men will now not only have to win the remaining three matches, starting with New Zealand, but also hope that the results in other matches favour them to salvage any hopes of a semifinal berth.

While pacer Mohammad Amir has been their biggest star, claiming 15 wickets to top the list, none of the other bowlers have backed him, which has affected their campaign.

Their batting line-up too lacked spark before left-handed batsman Haris Sohail, who was dropped after the opening game, made a strong comeback with a 59-ball 89 to help Pakistan post a challenging 308 for 7 against South Africa. Shadab Khan and Wahab Riyaz also chipped in with three wickets in their last game after Amir once again delivered, accounting for two scalps.