Pakistan captain Babar Azam reflected on his team’s journey in the previous edition of the T20 World Cup and feels that they could have defeated arch-rival India as well as won the tournament.
Pakistan were on track to lift the T20 World Cup title for the first time since their maiden triumph in 2009. In the 2021 edition, Pakistan were two wins away from lifting the trophy again. But before that, they faced Australia in the semi-final. The Men in Green fell short of tasting success after enduring a 5-wicket defeat against the Baggy Greens.
While recalling the match, Babar remarked that they could have won the game if they managed to pull off a couple of dot deliveries in the final phase of the game.
“I think the semi-final we lost against Australia, we could have won that. In that match, fielding was the reason that made a different impact. If we had bowled two or three dot balls in the final stages, then the pressure would have got to them. But we lost as a team and not due to an individual,” Babar said in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) podcast.
In the 2022 edition, Pakistan were near flawless en route to the final. But their woeful record against India in the World Cup continued after they suffered a four-wicket defeat.
The Men in Green were far ahead in the game against India. The Men in Blue needed 28 runs off a mere eight deliveries to walk away with a victory.
“For me, in 2022 [World Cup], we could and should have won the India game, but they took it away,” Babar noted.
With Virat Kohli on strike against Haris Rauf, the stalwart batter took a step back and struck a towering six right over the head of the Pakistan speedster. In an emotion-packed game, commentator Gerard Whateley delivered the iconic “That is a shot of an emperor” line to describe Kohli’s masterclass.
He tonked another maximum on the next ball, which laid the foundation for a successful 160-run chase for India. The match lived up to its hype, and the fans will be expecting another cracker of a match.
Pakistan managed to reach the final, but they suffered a blow after star pacer Shaheen Afridi sustained an injury during the match against England which played a major role in their shortcoming.
“Shaheen’s [Afridi] injury was impactful because, at that time, the pressure was on them [England]. We were forced to give an over to a spinner and that made a difference,” he said while recalling the T20 World Cup 2022 loss against England in the final.
Pakistan are placed in Group A and will begin their campaign against the co-hosts USA on June 6 at the Grand Prairie Stadium, Texas. (ANI)
