Pakistan spin bowling legend Saqlain Mushtaq has extended his unwavering support to the Pakistan team in the ongoing ODI World Cup in India and sounded optimistic about the team’s chance of doing very well in the remaining games despite their hat-trick of losses in the marquee event.
The Babar Azam-led side were under the pump throughout the last few games as they found themselves wanting on numerous occasions. In the game against Afghanistan, Pakistan never showed any signs of resistance while defending their 283-run total. The bowlers struggled, the fielders behaved clumsily, but most crucially, they lost concentration midway through.
In a video shared on his X handle, Saqlain Mushtaq wants the Pakistan players to back their ability to come good in upcoming games and shared some motivational words to the players
“I know you all must be down after losing to Afghanistan. But we believe in you that you will bounce back. Aur aapko karna hoga, Pakistan ki izzat ke liye, pride ke liye. Just believe in yourselves and the almighty. Put your heart and soul, and you will change the results,” Mushtaq said.
— Saqlain Mushtaq (@Saqlain_Mushtaq) October 23, 2023
“You guys must have been through several hardships. So, think about that. Where you started from and where you are now. You all are self-made and have found your destination yourself. You are street-smart and no one is braver than you”.
“You all have fought the odds to be here. Pakistan ki izzat ke liye tum logo ko bounce back karna hoga (You need to bounce back for the pride of Pakistan). We all love you,” Saqlain Mushtaq added in his message for the Pakistan team.
In Chennai, Afghanistan thrashed Pakistan by eight wickets. Afghanistan kept Pakistan to a score of 282/7 when bowling first. Hashmatullah Shahidi (48* off 45), Rahmat Shah (77* off 84), and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (65 off 53) batted incredibly well in pursuit of history, with Ibrahim leading the way with the game-winning 87 off 113 balls.
We Are Not Playing Good Cricket In Bowling And Fielding – Babar Azam
Babar Azam admitted that they weren’t up to the mark in the ongoing ODI World Cup. He claimed that they struggled to take wickets in the middle overs and that their fielding against Afghanistan was weak, which cost them the game and the mega-event.
“We aren’t up to the mark because we are not taking wickets in the middle overs. In the World Cup, if you are not good in even one department, then you’ll lose the match. In the field, we didn’t stop boundaries and gave away runs, that cost us,” Azam said.
“All credit to Afghanistan the way they played in all three departments. That’s why they won. We are not playing good cricket in bowling and fielding. We’ll try our best in the next match” Babar Azam further added.
Pakistan has now lost three straight games, suffering crushing defeats to Australia, India, and Afghanistan. They must act fast to make the necessary adjustments, to have a chance to qualify for the final four of the ODI World Cup in India.
