Babar Azam, the captain of Pakistan, talked about the team’s performance in the previous T20 World Cup. He believed that Pakistan had a potential to beat their age-old rivals India and win the championship.
Pakistan needed just two more wins to clinch the prestigious trophy for the second time since the Inaugural Edition in 2009.
On semi-final match against Australia they were torn apart, they didn’t have luck. Pakistan tried their best but went down by five wickets to Australia.
While reflecting on this critical match-up, Babar Azam said that his team could have done differently in last overs if only they had bowled a couple of dot balls.
“I think we could have won that semifinal we lost against Australia. That game was changed by fielding. Had we given away 2-3 dot balls at crucial juncture then pressure would have got them. However, we lost as a unit not as an individual,” stated Babar on PCB Podcast.
Throughout 2022 tournament held in Qatar, Pakistan performed marvelously well by reaching finals with near perfect records but continued their poor run against India in world cup matches when they suffered a narrow four-wicket defeat during final clash.
They dedicatedly commanded most of this fixture against their arch-rivals there were only eight deliveries left before India required twenty eight runs for victory.
“I think it was a game that in 2022 [World Cup], should’ve won us India, but they pulled it back,” added Babar Azam.
As he faced Haris Rauf’s delivery with one step backward; Virat Kohli powerfully hit it over long-on for six runs avoiding to touch Haris’ hair as commentator Gerard Whateley famously commented “That is a shot of an emperor” – capturing Kohli’s brilliance in one phrase
The next ball sailed over long-on once again and set up India’s chase perfectly after being sent for another six, the match was already beyond its promises with fans eagerly waiting for another thriller.
Pakistan made it to the final, but their dreams were shattered when Shaheen Afridi, their key fast bowler got injured in the England game which ultimately led to their losing.
“Shaheen’s [Afridi] injury really mattered because, at that point of time pressure was on them [England]. We had to grant an over to a spinner and so it changed things,” he recalled about Pakistan’s loss in the T20 World Cup 2022 final v England.
Pakistan is pooled with Group A and will open their campaign against co-hosts USA on June 6 at Grand Prairie Stadium, Texas.
