Disappointed Babar Azam pointed to the injury sustained by strike bowler Shaheen Afridi during the match as the defining turning point that resulted in Pakistan’s failure to win the Twenty20 World Cup.
Shaheen Afridi was forced to leave the field for a second time owing to an injury he sustained while attempting to catch Harry Brook in the deep. At the time, England required 41 runs off of 29 balls.
After returning to the field in the 15th over, Shaheen still had two overs remaining, and Pakistan were placing their hopes on him to keep his 12 balls under control.
Shaheen pulled up again just one ball into his third over, and he was forced to leave the game as a result, which significantly disrupted Pakistan’s plans.
In the post-match press conference, Babar stated,
“Bowlers performed a decent job in the middle overs, but Shaheen’s injury killed us.”
“If Shaheen had remained in the position, the outcome may have been different. So disappointed.”
Itikhar Ahmed, an off-spinner, finished up Shaheen’s third over, which was the 16th of the innings. There were two left-handed batters in the middle during this over. On the other hand, he allowed 13 runs off of five balls as England cut the total number of runs needed down to 28 runs off of four overs.
When asked to identify the aspect of the match that had the greatest impact on Pakistan, Babar emphasized the fact that the fight in the bowling had been good.
“Had Shaheen been present, it might have been a different story,” he continued.
The left-arm quick had given Pakistan a great start with the ball by getting rid of the semi-Player final’s of the Match, Alex Hales, in the very first over of his bowling spell. Pakistan went on to win the match. After Shaheen’s session, Pakistan took two more wickets during the Powerplay, which helped to establish the tone for the rest of the innings.
After that point, England’s comeback was driven by Ben Stokes, who scored his first fifty in a Twenty20 International and helped England to another title victory.
When asked about Pakistan’s performance in the event, which began with two losses but then made a spectacular comeback to reach the final, Babar acknowledged that the early setback was unanticipated.
“We were taken aback by the fact that we dropped the first two. people in general and us included. However, I am extremely proud of the team as a captain due to the manner in which we have rallied and taken advantage of opportunities.”
Individual efforts also contributed and showed up, in addition to the middle order stepping up their game.
He summed it up by saying, “I’m happy being a captain.”
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