India, Pakistan, MS Dhoni, Hasan Ali, CT 2017 final
India beat PakistanReuters

Former Pakistani cricketer Sikander Bakht stated that India may intentionally lose in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 on June 30 at Edgbaston so that Pakistan do not qualify for the semi-finals. This statement of the former cricket comes after the statement of another former Pakistani cricketer Basit Ali who stated the same and came out with a conspiracy theory.

Bakht, who played 26 Tests and 27 ODIs for Pakistan stated that the Men in Blue will start loosing after they have sealed the semi-final berth so that Pakistan cannot get through.

Basit Ali earlier had also claimed that India do not want Pakistan in the semi-finals so they will lose their matches against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

A video shared by Pakistan journalist Saj Sadiq featuring Bakht in a Pakistan news channel had him saying, " If India are already through, they will in their final match allow the opponents to win to ensure that Pakistan are knocked-out."

India defeated arch-rival Pakistan by 89 runs (DLS method) in a rain-hit encounter in Manchester. The most awaited match became a one-sided affair as the Indian team did not let Pakistan get into the game. Indian opener Rohit Sharma scored yet another ton in the tournament. He scored 140 runs and was supported by Virat Kohli and KL Rahul. India are on the verge of qualification after beating West Indies in their last fixture. They will face England, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka next. The Virat Kohli led squad need to win a match to secure qualification. The Men in Blue are placed second on the table with 11 points.

On the other hand, Pakistan have an uphill task in their hands. They are placed sixth on the table with seven points from seven games. They have to beat Afghanistan and Bangladesh to qualify for the next stage. At the same time they need other results to favour them especially they will want India to beat England, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.