Pakistan cricket team captain Babar Azam acknowledged the team's shortcomings during their first match of the T20 World Cup 2024, in which they faced a humiliating defeat by first-timer USA at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas on Thursday.
The match culminated in a thrilling Super Over, with the USA prevailing by a margin of five runs. During the Super Over, Pakistan's Muhammad Amir took the first wicket, and the United States recorded a score of 18-1. The Green Shirts were able to achieve only a score of 13-1.
The 29-year-old skipper expressed his thoughts in a post-match presentation, saying, "We failed to capitalise in the first six overs. Back-to-back wickets always put you on the back foot, as a batter you need to step up and build partnerships."
Babar noted that the initial six overs were challenging, but the team managed a comeback. However, momentum was lost again due to the rapid dismissal of wickets. "My partnership with Shadab was promising, but then two wickets fell. And we lost momentum again," he explained.
He stressed the importance of improvement in the middle order and bowling, saying, "Our score was adequate for this pitch, but we need to enhance our bowling."
The captain also emphasized that the bowlers did not perform well in the first six overs and stressed the importance of improving for upcoming matches.
Babar addressed the performance of the spinners, remarking that "our spinners did not take wickets in the middle overs, so these things cost us."
Also Read: T20 World Cup 2024: USA clinches historic victory over Pakistan in Super Over!
He also acknowledged the superior performance of the USA team in all aspects of the game, stating, "We must give credit to the USA for their superior performance in all three departments."
Furthermore, the match's conditions were also a talking point. Babar noted that there was a little bit of moisture in the pitch, and that it was also two-paced. As a professional, it is imperative to evaluate the circumstances.
He concluded his talk with a note of hope, expressing that the team intends to make a strong comeback in future matches.
In a breathtaking Super Over showdown, the USA pulled off a historic upset by defeating Pakistan in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 match. Setting Pakistan a target of 19 runs to win, Pakistan managed only 13 runs off the allotted 6 balls, giving USA a memorable victory.
Mohammad Amir bowled the Super Over for Pakistan, while the USA scored 18 runs for the loss of one wicket. In response, Pakistan could only score 13 runs from 6 balls, losing one wicket in the process. With this, USA secured the match by 5 runs, marking a significant upset in the T20 World Cup.
