T20 World Cup: Dot balls cost us the match, says Pak skipper Babar Azam
With a second straight loss, Pakistan is looking down the barrel in the competition.
With a second straight loss, Pakistan is looking down the barrel in the competition.
With a second straight loss, Pakistan is looking down the barrel in the competition.
New York: Pakistan skipper Babar Azam felt that the 59 dot balls which they conceded during their chase became the turning point in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup match against India.
Chasing a below-par target of 120, Pakistan failed to seize the moment and ended up losing the match by six runs. This was their second straight loss in the tournament after the shock defeat to the so-host USA in the opener.
"We bowled well. In the batting, we lost back-to-back wickets and consumed too many dot balls. Again, we weren't up to the mark in the first six," he said after the match at Nassau Contry cricket stadium.
Asked about the strategy, Babar said it was about playing normal cricket. "Tactics were simple to play normally. Just strike rotation and the odd boundary. But in that period, we had too many dot balls. Can't expect much from tail-enders."
Babar had a contrarian view on the surface unlike many who felt the ball wasn't coming onto the bat. "Pitch looked decent. The ball was coming on nicely. It was a little bit slow, and some balls had extra bounce," he said.
Pakistan will have to win against Canada and Ireland by big margins and hope that USA don't beat one among Ireland or India to progress to the Super Eight stage. "Have to win the last two matches. Will sit and discuss our mistakes but looking forward to the last two matches."