Pakistan’s Captain Babar Azam blames poor Bowling and fielding for the loss against Australia.
The Pakistani team faced a challenging 62-run defeat against the Kangaroos while attempting to chase down a massive target of 368 runs.
In response to today’s loss, which marked their second in the tournament, Babar praised the resilience of the pacers and spinners in the latter part of the first innings. However, he attributed the defeat to fielding mistakes and subpar bowling in the initial overs.
“The first 34 overs in the field and with the ball were our downfall. We missed opportunities to dismiss key players like Warner. However, credit goes to our quick bowlers and spinners for their strong comeback in the last 15 overs, hitting the right lengths and taking wickets,” Babar commented during the post-match ceremony.
Babar, the 29-year-old captain, also discussed the batting shortcomings of Pakistan, highlighting the failure to establish significant partnerships within the team.
“Our message to the batsmen was that we were capable of achieving the target, especially as the ball played well under the lights. We had a good start and managed to build some small partnerships, but we fell short in creating substantial ones in the middle. To succeed, we need to perform better in the initial ten overs with the ball and form strong partnerships in the middle order with the bat,” he emphasized.
Despite Australia setting an imposing 368-run target, Pakistan’s openers, Imam-ul-Haq and Abdullah Shafique, got off to an excellent start with a 134-run partnership. This was the first time a Pakistani opening pair achieved a century stand against Australia in a World Cup match.
At 154-2 in 23.4 overs, after the departures of Abdullah and Imam, Pakistan found themselves in need of a substantial partnership. However, their hopes were dashed when their skipper, Babar Azam, was dismissed by Adam Zampa after scoring just 18 runs, thanks to an outstanding catch by Pat Cummins.
Although Pakistan briefly looked like they might make a comeback, with Iftikhar Ahmed hitting boundaries, Adam Zampa managed to break through, removing Iftikhar and Mohammad Rizwan in consecutive overs.
Ultimately, Pakistan was bowled out for 305 runs in 45.3 overs. Australia, batting first, posted a formidable total of 367 runs, setting a new record for the highest total against Pakistan in the World Cup.
Shaheen Afridi was Pakistan’s standout bowler, securing five wickets, marking his second World Cup five-wicket haul.
