"Lock the England team in the dressing room"- Wasim Akram's hilarious take on how Pakistan can qualify for 2023 World Cup semis

Babar Azam and co. have a herculean task at hand against Buttler and his men (P.C.:ICC)

Former Pakistan legendary pacer and World Cup winner Wasim Akram is known for his witty and blunt remarks. The former left-arm pacer was at his absolute best once again on Thursday, November 9, after New Zealand thumped Sri Lanka in their final league stage game in Bengaluru.

Before the game, three teams were in contention for the fourth semifinal spot - New Zealand, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. However, the comprehensive win for the Kiwis has almost put them on the cusp of yet another World Cup semifinal.

Pakistan now have an incredibly tough scenario to fulfill if they have to overtake New Zealand in the fourth place. They need to beat England by a staggering margin of 287 runs in their final league game in Kolkata to go past the Kiwis on net run rate.

If England bat first, Pakistan for all probability will be out of contention for the semifinal spot. Speaking on A Sports, Wasim Akram made a humorous and sarcastic comment on Pakistan's chances by saying:

"Mathematically it is still possible. Pakistan should bat first against England and post runs, then lock the England team in the dressing room and get them timed out."

It was a reference to the infamous 'timed out' dismissal of Angelo Mathews by Shakib Al Hasan against Bangladesh in Delhi.

Pakistan will look back at the 2023 World Cup as a missed opportunity

Being a team from the subcontinent, Pakistan were touted as one of the favorites to make it to the semifinal of the 2023 World Cup in India. However, they failed to capitalize on some moments that could have turned their campaign around.

Disappointing defeats against South Africa and Afghanistan were arguably the ones after which Pakistan had a lot of catching up to do. They still need to believe in miracles and play their best cricket against England on Saturday.