Following their 89-run loss to India in Manchester on June 16, Pakistan’s head coach Mickey Arthur has admitted that the loss against their arch-rivals was so painful that he wanted to commit suicide.

“Last Sunday I wanted to commit suicide,” Arthur said ahead of Pakistan's match against New Zealand. “But it was, you know, it’s only one performance. It happens so quick. You lose a game; you lose another game; it’s a World Cup; media scrutiny; public expectation, and then you almost go into a sort of survival mode. We’ve all been there,” Arthur said. While Pakistan’s hope of reaching the semi-finals of the tournament was almost lost, their 49-run win against South Africa lifted Arthur’s spirits. However, they still have to defeat New Zealand, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh to remain in the battle.

Talking about their upcoming encounter with New Zealand, Mickey Arthur said, “I know we can beat New Zealand. We are alive and kicking, without a doubt, and we play our best game, we beat anybody. Whether that's New Zealand, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, our remaining games, or England, we showed. We put our three disciplines together, we are as good as any team in this competition.”