3 big mistakes that cost Pakistan in the 2024 T20 World Cup match against India
It is rare to see a team losing a T20 World Cup match when the win predictor favors them 92% with only a few overs left in the contest. However, Pakistan suffered a six-run defeat even though they had to chase down 48 runs from 48 balls with eight wickets in hand against India.
Playing at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, Pakistan won the toss and opted to field first in the 2024 T20 World Cup match against India on Sunday. Rishabh Pant's fearless knock helped India reach 89/3 in the 12th over, but the Men in Green bounced back and bowled their arch-rivals out for 119 runs in 19 overs.
Chasing 120, Pakistan were in a comfortable position at 72/2 after 12 overs. With a well-set Mohammad Rizwan and the dangerous Fakhar Zaman in the middle, it looked like the Men in Green would complete the chase easily. However, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Mohammed Siraj, and Arshdeep Singh conceded only 41 runs off the next 48 balls to win it for India.
All the Pakistan fans were frustrated with the way their team played in the last eight overs. So what exactly went wrong for the Men in Green? Here's a list of three mistakes which cost Pakistan a win in yesterday's 2024 T20 World Cup match.
#1 Pakistan's fielding was not up to the mark
Both India and Pakistan dropped some catches in yesterday's match, but the Indian team did not give too many overthrows and that was the difference between the two sides ultimately.
Pakistan batted one over more than India and still scored six runs less than them. In the final over of India's innings, there were multiple occasions where the Men in Green allowed Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh to steal overthrows. Those extra runs proved to be the difference-maker eventually.
#2 Mohammad Rizwan decides to hit big against Jasprit Bumrah
Mohammad Rizwan was the top-scorer for Pakistan yesterday, but the fans would not be happy with the way he got out. After tackling the rest of the Indian bowling attack well, Rizwan decided to hit big against the team's most dangerous bowler, Jasprit Bumrah.
Rizwan went for a shot towards leg-side, but Bumrah's ball kept low. The Pakistan opener ended up losing his stumps, allowing India to come back into the contest. Perhaps, Rizwan could have looked for singles against Bumrah and targetted another bowler.
#3 Imad Wasim's struggle against Axar Patel in 2024 T20 World Cup match
Pakistan's finisher Imad Wasim took 23 balls to score 15 runs yesterday. He hit one four, which came off an outside edge against Arshdeep Singh, meaning he scored only 11 runs off the other 22 deliveries.
While the batters found it challenging to tackle the pacers in New York, Wasim could have tried for big hits against left-arm spinner Axar Patel, who bowled around the wicket to him in the 16th over.
However, Wasim missed the ball multiple times while trying a cut shot, and those dot balls put Pakistan under enormous pressure in the final phase of the 2024 T20 World Cup match.