Former Pakistan skipper Salman Butt hit out at Babar Azam‘s side after they suffered a 6-run defeat against their arch-rivals India and said that it was a “tragic loss”. Naseem Shah was the only standout player for the Men in Green as he picked up three wickets and gave 21 runs in his four-over spell in the first inning. During the run chase, the Pakistan pacer played an unbeaten 10-run knock from four balls and smashed few boundaries in the final over of the second inning, however, it all went in vain as the Men in Green suffered a 6-run loss against India on Sunday.
Speaking on his official YouTube channel, Salman said that Pakistan found another way to lose a game out of nowhere.
“Another tragic loss. If we talk about the Pakistan Cricket Team, then I have to say it was a tragic loss, unfortunately. Pakistan have once again found a way out of nowhere how to lose a game. It was a simple game, they had wickets in hand but we found a way to create excitement and then lose it,” Salman said.
He also praised Rohit Sharma-led India for holding their nerves during the high-voltage match. The former cricketer added that the Men in Blue were relaxed and did not panic.
Salman also pointed out that India could have reached the 150-run mark since the pitch at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium was not that bad.
“The Indian team held their nerves, there was no panic at all and seemed relaxed. Indian batters lost their wickets and the Pakistan also bowled well. India could have reached the 150-run mark since the wicket in New York was not that bad,” he added.
Recapping the match, Pakistan won the toss and put India to bat first. However, the Indian batters did not get things going for them on this tough surface as star openers Virat Kohli (4) and Rohit Sharma (13) failed to score big. Rishabh Pant (42 in 31 balls, with six fours) seemed to be playing on a different pitch and had useful partnerships with Axar Patel (20 in 18 balls, with two fours and a six) and Suryakumar Yadav (seven in eight balls, with a four). However, the lower middle order crumbled under the pressure of scoring runs on such a tough pitch and India could make just 119 in 19 overs.
Haris Rauf (3/21) and Naseem Shah (3/21) were the top bowlers for Pakistan. Mohammed Amir got two scalps while Shaheen Shah Afridi got one.
In the run-chase, Pakistan took a more measured approach and Mohammed Rizwan (31 in 44 balls, with a four and six) held one end steady. However, Bumrah (3/14) and Hardik Pandya (2/24) got crucial wickets of skipper Babar Azam (13), Fakhar Zaman (13), Shadab Khan (4), Iftikhar Ahmed (5) as well, which kept the pressure intact on Pakistan. With 18 runs needed in final over, Naseem Shah (10*) tried to win it for Pakistan, however, Arshdeep Singh (1/31) made sure Pakistan fell short by six runs.
Bumrah secured the ‘Player of the Match’ for his match-winning spell.
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