"Mohammed Amir needlessly tried too many fancy things in the Super Over" - Ramiz Raja on the pacer's display in PAK vs USA 2024 T20 World Cup clash
Former Pakistan batter Ramiz Raja was critical of Mohammed Amir's bowling in the Super Over during the team's loss to the United States of America (USA) in the 2024 T20 World Cup on Thursday, June 6. The left-arm pacer bowled the all-important Super Over after the match in Dallas ended in a tie. But Amir ended up conceding 18 runs, which strangely included only one boundary.
Earlier, Pakistan clawed their way back into the contest in the death overs. But in trademark fashion, they faltered at the last moment to bring the USA back into the scheme of things.
Amir began the Super Over by conceding a boundary and was inconsistent with his line for the remaining five deliveries. There was a barrage of wides and byes which the co-hosts made the most of to propel their score to 18 runs.
Ramiz Raja opined that Amir should have relied on the yorker instead of trying to bowl out of the USA batters' reach.
"Mohammed Amir needlessly tried too many fancy things in the super over. His go-to ball is the yorker, he did not try that, and stuck with the wide angle and ended up conceding that much," Ramiz Raja said on his YouTube channel.
Ramiz Raja even criticized how Pakistan went about the run chase in the Super Over. The former PCB chairman felt that Fakhar Zaman should have faced the first ball to counter the angle from the left-arm pacer Saurabh Netravalkar.
"Fine, USA scored a lot in the super over, but the match was still not over. But Pakistan opted to send Shadab Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed in the super over against the left-arm seamer. It is well known that a left-handed batter players a left-arm pacer better because the angle is easier. Shadab Khan scored 40 in the first innings, but it does not mean that he is in red-hot form or he will score boundaries with ease in a crunch moment. What happened in the end, Fakhar remained stuck at the non-striker's end," Ramiz Raja added.
Pakistan could only score five runs off the first three deliveries as Iftikhar Ahmed could not make an impression.
Shadab Khan also struggled against the left-arm pacer's angle as the Men in Green ended up five runs short, with Zaman not even facing a single delivery.
"It was as if they thought things would be fine on their own" - Ramiz Raja on Pakistan's poor body language
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam cut a frustrated figure throughout the match, and the entire team looked deflated when the USA had the upper hand.
"It was a dispirited performance by Pakistan on the field, no one seemed to show any indication that the team are putting in all of their effort and fighting for the win. It was as if they thought things would be fine on their own. You cannot be like that in a World Cup, the opposition comes well prepared. You could see that as well, USA's body language was so good, and so were their tactics and performance," Ramiz Raja said in the same video.
Pakistan's T20 World Cup campaign could take an ugly turn if they lose to India in their next match. The high-profile encounter is scheduled to take place in New York on Sunday, June 9.