(ICC Credit)
Cricket, often celebrated as the gentleman’s game, can also be unforgiving, as evidenced by Pakistan’s bitter experience in the T20 World Cup match against arch-rivals India on Sunday.
Initially, Pakistan’s pacers dominated the Indian batting lineup, restricting them to a modest 119 runs after an encouraging start of 81/3 in the first 10 overs. This marked the first instance of India being bowled out by Pakistan in T20 Internationals.
However, what appeared to be a straightforward victory for Pakistan quickly turned into a nightmare. Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya unleashed havoc on the Pakistani batting order, leading to a crushing 6-run defeat for Pakistan in the end.
“We bowled well. In the batting, we lost back-to-back wickets and had too many dot balls. Our tactic was simple, play normally. Just keep the strike rotation and find the odd boundary. But in that crucial period, we had too many dot balls,” said Babar in a post-match interview.
Even with the loss of wickets, Pakistan remained within reach of victory, requiring a manageable 37 runs in the final 5 overs. However, Jasprit Bumrah’s pivotal dismissal of Rizwan in the 14th over triggered a collapse in the batting lineup, preventing them from achieving their target.
Despite the defeat, captain Babar refrained from attributing blame to his batsmen. Instead, he emphasized the responsibility of the top-order, including himself, to contribute towards guiding the team to victory.
“We can’t expect much from tailenders. Our mind was to utilize the first overs in batting. But one wicket down, and again we weren’t up to the mark in the first six. The pitch looked decent, the ball was coming on nicely. It was a little bit slow, and some balls had extra bounce. But, we now have to win the last two matches. We will sit and discuss our mistakes,” stated a humbled Babar.
India currently holds the leading position in their group, having secured victories in both of their two matches, placing them above the USA. Conversely, Pakistan has suffered two consecutive losses in their T20 World Cup campaign thus far.
