Pakistan gunning for quarter-final spot, says skipper Misbah-ul-Haq

Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq has admitted that the upcoming World Cup pool games would be 'tough and crucial' for his team to secure a quarter-final berth in the tournament.

Misbah's side scraped out a 20-run win over Zimbabwe on Sunday in Brisbane after suffering humiliating defeats against West Indies and India in their first two matches.

The skipper said that the next six days were going to be 'very tough' for them with flights and three games, adding that the pool was 'open' and they were 'fighting for the quarter-finals', insisting that they had to 'go out there and improve their performance', the Dawn reported.

Pakistan will next meet the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in their fourth Pool B match at Napier, New Zealand on Wednesday.

Misbah further said that they have to go into the next round, perform on Wednesday, then against South Africa and Ireland (March 15) and if they are unable to perform in one game then they are out of the tournament.