World Cup 2019: Pakistan only interested in finishing on a high, says captain Sarfaraz Ahmed

Pakistan has a very slim chance of qualifying for the World Cup semifinals after England's win over New Zealand, while its recent record against Bangladesh is dismal.

Sarfaraz Ahmed addresses the media on the eve of Pakistan's final group match against Bangladesh at Lord's.

The last time Pakistan faced Bangladesh in a World Cup fixture, it faced a shock defeat against the minnows.

That was in 1999.

And two decades later, as Sarfaraz Ahmed’s men take on Bangladesh, they are cautious.

While Bangladesh has crashed out of the tournament, Pakistan still has a mathematical chance of reaching the last-four. But for that, it has to win toss at Lord’s on Friday and then defeat Bangladesh by a 316-run margin.

“It is very difficult. 316 runs is a big margin. Only if you’re batting first, you can score 600 runs or 500 runs. So I don’t know what the study is behind this, but I can’t do anything,” Sarfaraz said on Thursday.

“We’re just interested in finishing the tournament on a high and doing our best against Bangladesh.”

For the record, Bangladesh has won its last four encounters against Pakistan.

“Yes we’ve lost our last four matches but this is a World Cup match… Both teams are looking stronger than the last time we played, so hopefully we will do well as a team.”

This is for the first time, Bangladesh will be playing an ODI at Lord’s, but Pakistan hopes to leave the ‘Home of Cricket’ on a winning note.