T20 World Cup 2022 final: "We were 20 runs short and we couldn't defend because of that" - Babar Azam reflects on 5-wicket loss to England
Pakistan captain Babar Azam has opened up on his side's questionable approach with the bat following a five-wicket loss in the T20 World Cup 2022 final against England on Sunday, November 13. The right-handed batter felt Pakistan posted at least 20 runs short as they tried to play according to the situation.
After England asked them to bat first after winning the toss, the Pakistan batters struggled to cope with the bounce of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
Shan Masood top-scored with 38 off 32 as they scraped through to a below-par 137 in 20 overs.
Congratulations @ECB_cricket. You are worthy champions.
Enjoy and celebrate this moment, and we look forward to hosting you in December for the three-Test series.
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Following a five-wicket defeat, Babar expressed his disappointment at failing to finish the job and that their relatively slow batting was a result of trying to build partnerships.
He was quoted as saying by the ICC:
"I'm very sad. I think we were 20 runs short and we couldn't defend because of that. We are very proud to play for Pakistan. It is very sad when you can't finish it. But I’m disappointed. We were in a different situation.
"We were trying to build partnerships but we couldn't. Whenever a wicket falls, the batter goes and he takes two-three balls to settle down. We came on the back foot as a batting unit."
Although Babar and Mohammad Rizwan have stitched together some of the best opening partnerships in T20Is, the duo again started conservatively on Sunday. While Rizwan departed for 15 off 14 balls, the skipper managed 32 off 28 deliveries.
"Every team has its own plans and we stuck to our plan" - Babar Azam
The 28-year-old admitted that things didn't go Pakistan's way as they failed to execute their plans despite having the potential to reach 150. Babar added:
"Every team has its own plans and we stuck to our plan. Sometimes we are not able to give 100 percent on it. We try not to repeat our mistakes. But this is a part of the game. Sometimes you do well and sometimes you don't. This is the beauty of cricket. Every day is different.
"The way we started, we couldn't finish well. On the 11th over, it was 80-85. I think we should have finished at 150. I think we made some mistakes."
Alhumdulillah, couldn’t be more proud of my pack. You all fought like true warriors.
Thank you everyone for all the support. Pakistan Zindabad🇵🇰 https://t.co/IawHR5U7q8
Although England struggled to chase a modest 138, all-rounder Ben Stokes (52* off 49) kept his head cool to see his side over the line.