NEW DELHI: Former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq has criticized the Pakistan team management following their narrow six-run defeat to India in the T20 World Cup match on Sunday. Despite a strong bowling performance that restricted India to just 119 runs, Pakistan's batting lineup failed to capitalize, jeopardizing their chances of progressing in the tournament.
Misbah pointed out critical errors in Pakistan's approach during the run chase, particularly the underutilization of middle-order batter Iftikhar Ahmed, who came in to bat at No. 7 despite being the lone specialist batter in the middle order.
T20 World Cup Schedule | Points Table
"Middle order par confidence nahi hai. Seedhi si baat hai. Hum unko jis tarike se utilize karte hai, Iftikhar hai or jo bhi khelta hai middle order me. Hum jab unke number jis tarah se hai, run-a-ball bhi hai toh hum unko nahi bhejte. Saal me unki baari aati hai do, woh bhi aisi situation mein pariyaan dete hai ki. Aapne agar middle order ki batsmen khilaya hai toh bhai uska jo number hai usme aap kyun nahi bhej rahe usko," Misbah said on Hum Sport.
Elaborating on the batting order decisions, Misbah questioned the rationale behind sending all-rounders ahead of Iftikhar on a challenging pitch in New York. He stressed that on such surfaces, where power hitting is less effective, situational assessment is crucial.
"Simple si baat hai, Iftikhar agar khel raha hai, batsman woh hena. Imad [Wasim] ussey pahle gaya, uske baad Shadab [Khan] ussey pahle gaya and he was the last. Aap unko 7th number par bhej rahe hai, aur yeh throughout chal raha hai. Aisi pitch par jahaan aapko pata hai power hitting ki jarurat nahi hai. Situation ko assess karne ki jarurat hai," Misbah added.
Misbah also criticized Pakistan's inability to learn from India's innings, where their power hitters struggled to score.
"Aapne pahle innings dekh li India ki, once you have to score over run-a-ball aakhri 10 overs me woh bada mushkil hai. Humne isko 6 ya under 6 rakhna hai, iske uper le jaake, chahe unke paas jitne bhi damage karne wale batsmen ho - Hardik Pandya, jeetne bhi aaye [Shivam] Dube, unse nahi huwe hai runs. Hit nahi lag rahi thi. Toh hume ye sochna chahiye tha ki Iftikhar ko bacha ke rakhne ka kya faida. End me toh aapse hit nahi lagegi. Jahaan 6 ya 7 nahi ho raha, toh ek dafa 9-10 me le jayenge toh woh kya karega. Agar aapne bhejna hi tha, okay fine Shadab ko run-a-ball tha, pichle match me usne perform kiya huwa hai toh usko uper bhejte phir. Uske baad Iftikhar aata," Misbah said.
1/9:T20 World Cup: Bumrah delivers as India beat Pakistan in low-scoring thriller
AFP
2/9:India beat Pakistan in New York
Jasprit Bumrah was the hero as India beat Pakistan by six runs in a low-scoring T20 World Cup thriller in New York on Sunday.AP
3/9:Bumrah's Heroics
India were bowled out by Pakistan for 119 in 19 overs. Defending the small total, Bumrah delivered crucial wickets and his 3-14 in four overs proved decisive as Pakistan fell just short ending on 113-7.ANI
4/9:Crowd Excitement
Despite a tricky batting surface that made batting difficult, a crowd of 34,028, a record attendance for an international cricket match in the USA, were given a tight contest that ebbed and flowed.AFP
5/9:Pakistan's Chase
Naseem Shah made a valiant effort, hitting the fourth and fifth balls of the last over for fours but India avoided any late drama to secure their second win of the tournament.ANI
6/9:Bumrah's Crucial Wickets
Bumrah picked up the vital wicket of Pakistan captain Babar Azam (13) and Mohammad Rizwan (31). Then, in the penultimate over, Bumrah conceded just three runs and removed Iftikhar Ahmed with his final ball.AP
7/9:Final Over Drama
<b>That left Pakistan needing 18 from the final over, a steep task on a difficult batting surface and it got more tricky when Arshdeep Singh dismissed Imad Wasim with the first ball.</b>AFP
8/9:Pakistan's Tough Loss
For Pakistan, their loss, coming after the shock defeat to the USA, leaves them without a point and with a lot of work to do against Canada and Ireland if they are to fight their way into the Super Eight stage.AP
9/9:Rain Interruption
Rain delayed the start of the game, played in front of a packed 34,000 fans, the majority of whom were backing tournament favourites India.AFPHe further questioned the decision to send Imad Wasim ahead of Iftikhar and criticized the team for playing fewer batters on a bowling-friendly pitch.
"Imad ko bhej rahe hai, theek hai ki jao abhi normal khelna hai. Yeh pitch nahi hai ki jahaan end pe maarke aap poora kar logey. Usko left hander ke liye bheja aur woh left-hander ka hi poora over dot khel gaya. Basically, you are building pressure aur apne batsman ko woh confidence nahi de rahe hai. Phir toh baat simple si hai ki aap specialist teen batsmen se khel rahe hai, bowling pitch pe. India 6 batsmen ke saath khelke bhi 2 all-rounder khela rahe hai. Sochne ki baat hai ki mushkil pitch pe, jo batting ke liye mushkil hai, under pressure kaun hoga - batting hogi. Humne toh ulta batting resources hamare kam hai," Misbah concluded.
The former captain's critique underscores the need for better tactical decisions and confidence in the batting order to optimize performance in crucial matches.
