Gary Kirsten, Pakistan’s head coach, has voiced his disappointment at the batting collapse that led to their six-run defeat to India in T20 World Cup and putting their tournament hopes in jeopardy.
In a chase of 120 runs, Babar Azam’s side collapsed from 80/4 in the 15th over to 113/7 before using up 59 dot balls.
After the game, Kirsten addressed the media about strike rotation on difficult pitches such as Nassau County International Stadium. “I think certainly on a pitch like that, it is really, really important to be able to rotate the strike. Sometimes it’s fun to watch a game like this where it’s not only about hitting boundaries,” He said.
The former South African cricketer underlined that Pakistan’s batsmen went off track after the 15th over. “We did well for 15 overs and then we lost the plot. We’re losing too many wickets. Players have got to take responsibility when that opportunity comes,” he added.
The coach acknowledged how much pressure players are facing after two consecutive losses against USA and rivals India. “These guys are all international players and they’re aware that when they’re not performing at their best, there’s going to be pressure put on them. That’s understandable,” Kirsten stated.
Missteps in Chase Strategy
Kirsten explained how they had planned for chasing; which was looking out for loose delivery balls and rotating strike effectively However, he regretted that there were some misfires during critical phases of innings.” ”We kept it at a run a ball for fifteen overs and then we lost wickets stopped scoring ones started looking for boundaries; Once you’ve got into that point it was always going to be hard,” he commented.
Even though batting struggled badly, Kirsten lauded their bowling performance mainly towards the end of innings. “Our record between overs 10 to 20 as a bowling unit is up there with the best. We’ve got four fantastic seamers and Imad Wasim bowled really well today,” he said.
Navigating Pitch Controversy
Kirsten refrained from criticizing the drop-in pitches at the Nassau stadium, which have drawn flak for inconsistent bounce. “I think it wasn’t dangerous. The odd one rose up, but not many. Generally, it kept a little bit lower. It was difficult to score from both batting sides and also a fairly slow outfield,” Kirsten noted. He added that a score of 140 would have been competitive on such a pitch.
Next Steps and Future Outlook
Looking ahead, Kirsten emphasized the need for continual growth and adaptation in international cricket. “I’m having a look into the environment and looking at what the issues are. For every international player, it’s important to continue growing and improving,” he stressed.
Pakistan’s next game is against Canada on Tuesday which they must win if they are to stay alive in Super Eight stage; however Kirsten remains optimistic yet realistic about the challenges that lie ahead “We need to win big against Canada and Ireland and hope for favorable results in other matches,” he concluded.
