Pakistan captain Babar Azam reflected on his team's loss to India in the 2024 T20 World Cup, held in New York on Sunday.
India cruised to a narrow six-run victory in a low-scoring Group A match at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.
Pakistan won the toss and opted to bowl on a variable bounce pitch. Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf claimed three wickets each while Rishabh Pant top-scored for India with a quickfire 42 as they were bowled out for 119.
In reply, Mohammad Rizwan started the chase with a steady 31 but Pakistan's wickets fell regularly. Jasprit Bumrah's crucial bowling for India earned him figures of 3-14, restricting Pakistan to 113-7 in their 20 overs.
“I think they bowled well after 10 overs. We were chasing 120, they ran us one ball for the first 10 overs, but consecutive wickets and then [we left too much in the end]” Azam commented after the match. “The tactics were simple, play normally, rotate the strike, 5-6 and more. But in that period we had too many dot balls, the pressure was on us and we lost three quick wickets. One cannot expect too much from those who follow his example.”
He continued: “We weren't up to par in the first six overs, we had targeted 40-45 runs and didn't capitalize properly. The pitch looked decent and the ball came in well. A little slow, some balls are bouncing a bit more, but I did it. you wait with a dropped pitch.”
In Group A, India are close to securing a place in the Super 8 with two wins in their opening matches, while Pakistan remains pointless after also losing to the United States in their opening match.
“We didn't bat well enough. I thought at half, after 10 overs, we were in a good position, guys are expected to form partnerships. We were 15-20 runs short, and every run matters. We were looking for 140, but the players did the job. It was a good wicket compared to what we played here. [against Ireland]. There is that never-give-up attitude in the team,” said Indian captain Rohit Sharma.
