Imad Wasim, the Pakistan all-rounder questioned the intent of the Pakistani batters in middle overs after they suffered a loss to England in the second T20I of the four-match series in Birmingham on Saturday.
On Saturday, May 25, England defeated the Babar Azam-led squad by 23 runs at Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham. After winning the toss, Pakistan’s bowlers allowed the Jos Buttler-led squad to score 183 runs. The Men in Green failed to chase down the goal, scoring only 160 runs in 19.2 overs.
Jos Buttler was England’s leading scorer in the contest. Buttler made 84 runs from 51 deliveries, including eight boundaries and three sixes. Will Jacks scored 37 from 23 balls. Shaheen Afridi (3/36), Imad Wasim (2/19), and Haris Rauf (2/34) made valuable contributions to Pakistan.
In response, Pakistan’s openers, Mohammad Rizwan (0) and Saim Ayub (2) were dismissed early. Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam shared a 53-run partnership for the third wicket. Zaman hit 45 runs in 21 balls but was unable to convert it into a match-winning knock. The other batters struggled to have an impact.
Fast bowler Jofra Archer, in his first international encounter in over a year, took two wickets for 28 runs in four overs. Reece Topley claimed three wickets for 41 runs in 3.2 overs.
Intent which we need is still missing in middle overs: Imad Wasim
“I agree that the intent which we need is still missing, especially in the middle overs where we need to dominate, and dominating over the opponent doesn’t mean you start playing aggressively. You just need to disallow the bowler from settling with the line,” Imad said during the press conference.
When asked about the collapse in the middle overs, Imad Wasim responded that they would evaluate and adapt their plan. Wasim criticised the poor shot selection, claiming that a huge individual score could have impacted the game’s outcome.
He also indirectly criticised Babar Azam and middle-order hitters for lacking intent in the middle overs.
“It is frustrating, but we will sit and talk about it because the stats are with us now, and we want to play a different kind of cricket. Definitely, next game we will look up to these stats, and we will try to attack even more.
“But some of the bowling was good, and the shot selection was a bit, what you can say, not at that position we should take it deep. And if there was any batsman who scored 50, 60, or 70, it would have been the game,” Imad maintained.
Imad Wasim about Pakistan's batting in overs 8 to 13 "it was frustrating"#EngvPak #Cricket pic.twitter.com/eT0F1xqxUK
— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) May 25, 2024
On the other hand, he stated that he is comfortable with bowling at any position, according to the team’s requirements.
“I am ready to bowl at any position, be it with the new ball or the death overs, whenever the captain feels that I should come to bowl, I will and I will try to give my best for the team. It will be decided according to the conditions,” he added.
The third T20I will be played in Cardiff on May 28.
Also Read: ENG vs PAK 2024: We Didn’t Finish Well – Babar Azam On 2nd T20I Loss In Birmingham