Pakistan captain Babar Azam spoke about their shortcomings and revealed the turning point of the game when they suffered an upset against USA in the T20 World Cup. In a nail-biting thriller that kept fans on the edge of their seats, the USA pulled off a remarkable victory over Pakistan in the Super Over. Pakistan were reeling at 26/3 when Babar and Shadab Khan joined hands at the crease. The pair steadied their sinking ship by forging a promising-looking 72-run stand.
But, the Babar-led team again found itself in crisis after Shadab failed to get it over short fine leg.
“In the first six overs, the ball held and swung. But the more partnerships we built, the better for us. When Shadab and I started the partnership, we gained momentum. I think when we lost consecutive wickets, that was the turning point. When you gained momentum, you lost it because of loss of wickets,” Babar said in the post-match press conference.
Unfamiliar conditions against a US team that the Pakistan team was unaware of played a major role in their downfall.
The batsmen struggled to stay on the field and the pacers couldn’t find their rhythm. The fielders ended up making fielding errors that never allowed the USA to feel pressure until the final three overs.
Babar did not hold back when evaluating their performance in all three departments of the game.
“We are not bowling well in all three departments. We are better than that in bowling, we are not in the first six overs taking wickets. In the middle overs, their spinner is not taking wickets, so the pressure is on us. But I think the form how they finished the game in the super overs, I think it’s a credit to the US team,” Babar said.
“It was difficult at first, but we got through it. But as a professional, you have to face this performance or this team in batting, in the middle order. I think we played poorly,” he added.
Despite succumbing to an unprecedented defeat, the Pakistani captain acknowledged that he was “feeling good”.
“To be honest, I am feeling good. If you lose a match, you are always upset. I think we are not playing well, from both sides. Fielding, bowling and batting,” Babar noted.
During the game, Pakistan managed to crawl to 159/7 after Shaheen Afridi came in and played some big hits towards the end.
In response, the US appeared well prepared to pursue the total. After Andries Gous and captain Monank Patel created a 68-run partnership.
But Pakistan made a comeback with the pacers hitting consistent line and length. With five left off the final ball, Nitish Kumar hit four to send the game into the Super Over.
The experienced and fast Mohammad Amir, who shone in the penultimate throw, received the ball to bowl the last six throws.
But it turned out to be a complete contrast in performance, he missed the line, bowled a few wides and gave away 18 runs.
In response, Pakistan folded at 13/1 and allowed the USA to walk away with a 5-run victory.
(Except the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Topics mentioned in this article
This story originally appeared on ndtv.com read the full story
