T20 World Cup 2022: “152/0 vs 170/0” - Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif takes a dig at Team India after Men in Blue suffer 10-wicket loss to England in the 2nd semi-final
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took a dig at Team India after Rohit Sharma and Co. suffered a 10-wicket defeat to England in the second semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2022 on Thursday, November 10.
England were completely dominant in the knockout clash at the Adelaide Oval. Bowling first after winning the toss, they restricted Team India to 168/6. In the chase, Alex Hales (86* off 47) and skipper Jos Buttler (80* off 49) featured in a terrific opening stand of 170* to confirm their place in the T20 World Cup 2022 final.
England will meet Pakistan in the summit clash at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday, November 13.
Meanwhile, taking to his official Twitter handle after the conclusion of the second semi-final, the Pakistan PM put out a cheeky post, which went as follows:
“So, this Sunday, it’s: 152/0 vs 170/0."
#T20WorldCupSo, this Sunday, it’s:
152/0 vs 170/0
🇵🇰 🇬🇧 #T20WorldCup
While the 170/0 obviously referred to England’s total against India on Thursday, 152/0 was Pakistan’s score when they hammered Team India in their first match of the T20 World Cup in UAE last year.
On that occasion, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan registered half-centuries as Pakistan notched up their maiden win against the Men in Blue in a World Cup match.
“You cannot teach them to handle pressure” - Team India skipper reflects on another no-show in knockouts
Team India's meltdown against England was not the first instance of them succumbing to the pressure of a knockout clash. It is becoming somewhat of a dangerous habit in Indian cricket.
Sharing his thoughts on the same, skipper Rohit Sharma said at the post-match presentation:
“See I think when it comes to knockout stages, it comes to individuals as well. You cannot teach them to handle pressure. They have all handled it. They have been playing IPL. Some of these guys can handle it."
Stating that they were okay with the bat in the semi-final, Rohit admitted that the bowling was very poor. He added:
"Again, I felt that the way we started with the ball was not good, maybe a bit nervy. The way Bhuvi started was not good. We wanted to keep it tight and not give width. Keeping it tight was something we spoke off, and from there if the batting side plays good shots we will take on. This was something where we didn't do well."
India never looked like taking a wicket with the ball as England’s openers raced to the target in exactly 16 overs to set off celebrations in their camp.