"Overconfident ho ke hi kaam kharab hua" - Misbah-ul-Haq recalls Pakistan's heartbreaking loss to India in 2007 T20 World Cup final
Former Pakistani batter Misbah-ul-Haq looked set to guide the Men in Green to a famous win in the final of the inaugural T20 World Cup against India in 2007. He fought hard with a gutsy 43-run knock, but his efforts went in vain, as they suffered a five-run defeat while chasing 158 runs.
Recalling the loss, Misbah recently stated that Pakistan fancied their chances after restricting India to 157/7 after 20 overs. Given their dependence on spin bowlers, he pointed out that the shorter boundaries made it tough for the MS Dhoni-led side.
Speaking to Star Sports, Misbah-ul-Haq said:
"We were very confident because of the kind of pitch there was and the kind of (short) boundaries, it was very tough for India because they were dependent on their spin bowling. "At the Wanderers, it's very difficult for the spinners usually and their main bowler at that time was Harbhajan Singh. For an offspinner to bowl with short side boundaries there (was tough), and usually we play spin well."
The 50-year-old opined that Pakistan's overconfidence cost them the match. He also highlighted that the team losing wickets at regular intervals didn't help their cause, adding:
"We thought ke ye to koi mushkil runs nahi hain (not a difficult target to chase), just need a good start. But I think losing quick wickets in 2-3 overs, the run-out of Imran Nazir, that basically put pressure on us. At one point we were 77 for 6. So because of the fall of wickets, the target became difficult. Mujhe lagta hai overconfident ho ke hi kaam kharab hua (I think things went bad because of overconfidence)."
Despite not getting enough support from the remaining batters, Misbah-ul-Haq kept Pakistan in the hunt. The equation came down to 20 runs off the final two overs, and the onus was on Misbah to take his team home. However, an instinctive scoop shot in the last over led to India becoming the first-ever T20 World Cup champions.
"You have to make just one mistake, out, and game over" - Misbah-ul-Haq on Pakistan having just one wicket in hand in the 20th over
Pakistan required 13 runs off the last six balls with just one wicket in hand. India's Joginder Sharma kicked off the over with a wide and ended up conceding a six off the third ball.
With six needed from four balls, Misbah backed himself to play the scoop shot and clear the short fine-leg fielder for a boundary. However, Joginer's lack of pace didn't help him and he was ultimately caught by S Sreesanth.
Misbah-ul-Haq mentioned that he was confident of winning the match for Pakistan, as he just needed to middle two balls in the final over. Speaking about what was going in his mind ahead of the all-important last over, he said:
"I was very confident that we need 13 runs and I have to middle only two balls. The four to third-man boundary off an edge from (Mohammad) Asif's bat gave us a feeling that maybe luck is on our side. Then I hit a six at the start of the last over.
Misbah-ul-Haqe emphasized that with just one wicket left, a single mistake was all they needed to lose the summit clash, adding:
"It is like that, cricket is like that. When you have just one wicket left, then the bowling side is ahead in the game because you have to make just one mistake, out, and game over."
Irfan Pathan was adjudged the Player of the Match in the 2007 T20 World Cup final. The left-arm pacer registered impressive figures of 4-0-16-3.