Former PCB chairman Ramiz Raja said India “gave Pakistan the benefit of playing poorly” in the later innings in their T20 World Cup Group A match in New York but Babar Azam’s side failed to capitalise. A poor pitch at the Nassau Cricket County ground saw India lead at 80/3 in the first 10 overs and look set to make a strong total of over 150. But things changed when Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube and Rishabh Pant were dismissed soon after – partly through good bowling and partly through poor shot selection.
Ramiz said that had India not pushed so hard, they could have put the match out of Pakistan’s reach. “India did Pakistan a favour by playing poorly, in fact they were playing like mavericks otherwise they could have easily reached 140-150 runs, which Pakistan couldn’t handle. But their misplay of shots and some good bowling got Pakistan back into the match,” Ramiz Raja told CriqBaz.
India were bowled out for 119 runs in the 19th over after losing their last seven wickets for just 30 runs. However, the total proved to be enough. Indian bowlers, led by Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, produced a brilliant performance to restrict Pakistan to 113/6 in 20 overs, taking a big step towards Super 8 qualification.
Ramiz said that Mohammed Rizwan’s wicket was a turning point in the match. “There was no aggressive intent, no sense of the game. Mohammed Rizwan’s ball off Jasprit Bumrah was a poor one. Bumrah came in to make the breakthrough. His two overs were make-or-break for Pakistan. If they had stayed focused and got Bumrah out safely, the match would have been in order. Also, Bumrah, as we all know, is a classic (bowler). You give him the ball in any critical situation and he delivers. He is very clear about what he wants to do and is always one step ahead of the opposition. That was really a defining moment,” said Ramiz.
‘Pakistan tends to freeze under pressure from India’: Ramiz Raja
Rizwan was dropped for 31 while trying to hit Bumrah over the line off the first ball of the 15th over. Pakistan needed 40 off 36 balls but the lower-middle order could not keep the scoreboard moving after Rizwan’s wicket.
“Because Rizwan was the last man standing for Pakistan. What frustrates me is that even on a difficult pitch, even against a good bowling attack like India’s, when you’re aiming for 120, all you need is a solid partnership. That’s it. There were no heroics needed, there were no fours or sixes needed. We were aiming for six per over. Why did we miss it? It’s a matter of temperament,” Ramiz added.
The former batsman said Pakistan players tend to freeze up in pressure situations. “You just have to do the simple things. You saw it was a difficult pitch and India were trying to be aggressive and lost wickets. The ball was bouncing inconsistently so we couldn’t be aggressive. So we just had to get past a couple of difficult balls. Otherwise we could have scored three or four runs. But they kept losing wickets. They lost momentum. They tend to freeze up in tense situations. It’s such a shame. This was our first chance in a long time to beat India.”
