[Watch] Babar Azam's furious outburst after Haris Rauf concedes four on last ball in T20 World Cup clash vs USA, forcing a super over
Pakistan captain Babar Azam was not pleased with pacer Haris Rauf after he got hit for a four on the final ball of the match against the United States of America on Thursday (June 6). It was a crucial moment in the contest as USA needed five runs from the last ball.
Haris Rauf tried to bowl a yorker but missed his length and delivered a low full toss. Batter Nitish Kumar hit the ball in the air towards mid-off and got enough elevation to clear the fielder. The ball then raced away to the fence, prompting celebrations from the USA contingent and their fans.
Babar Azam was extremely disappointed with Rauf's effort and expressed his anger with a few gestures after the last ball.
You can watch Babar Azam's reaction in the video below:
Mohammad Amir bowled the super over for Pakistan, but sloppy fielding and unfortunate extra runs, coupled with smart batting, took the USA to 18/1. Saurabh Netravalkar then successfully defended the 19 runs, giving away only 13, to help the USA register a historic victory.
"All credit to USA team, they played well in all three departments"- Pakistan captain Babar Azam
At the post-match presentation, Babar Azam analyzed his team's performance and stated up that the batting unit failed to capitalize on the powerplay restrictions, which hurt their momentum. He also credited the USA for performing consistently in all the departments. Reflecting on the loss, Babar said:
"First six overs, we couldn't capitalise. After that we picked up momentum, but lost wickets in flurry which was a set back and also couldn't put up partnerships at crucial junctures. We weren't up to the mark in the first six overs with the ball."
Babar Azam continued:
"We tried to come back, but we couldn't' finish. We will try in the next matches. All credit to USA team, they played well in all three departments. Little moisture was there on the pitch at the start, the ball wasn't coming on that easily and our batters couldn't asses the conditions as well."
Pakistan will next face India in the 2024 T20 World Cup on Sunday (June 9) in New York.