Pakistan’s approach in T20I cricket has always been a point of discussion leading up to the 20-20 World Cup 2022. Captain Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan were heavily criticised for their slow batting but things massively changed in the marquee tournament. After being out of form for quite some time, the duo accelerated against New Zealand in the semi-finals and helped their team qualify for the mega-final. Seeing that, it was thought to be a new beginning for Pakistan in T20 cricket but that definitely hasn’t been the case.
Their approach in the finals once again shifted gears as Babar Azam and company came to the field with the intention to defend themselves. Former Pakistan world champion Misbah Ul Haq pointed this out after the match and even though he appreciated the Men in Green for their effort, questioned them for their approach.
“It was indeed a top effort from Pakistan. They really fought hard. But what I feel, they couldn’t handle the pressure. The pressure of a final…somehow I felt that we were under pressure and couldn’t execute our plans. We committed errors because we weren’t calm. Clearly, we lacked discipline and game awareness, in both batting and bowling. If you have a laid-back approach in such a big match, one mistake can cost you big,” said the former cricketer while speaking to A Sports.
You have to be proactive, you cannot put everything to faith: Misbah
The 48-year-old also pointed out the tactical mistakes Pakistan committed. The former cricketer wanted Shadab Khan to bat ahead of Iftikhar Ahmad, as he is in great form at the moment. He feels that the all-rounder could have made an impact in the middle overs and also questioned why Pakistan didn’t use the data, that’s already available.
“In the 12th over, Babar was dismissed after we managed to get the momentum in the match and had properly delivered that punch to England. Shadab should have batted next because of match-ups. You have to be proactive, you cannot put everything to faith. It is silly not to use all the data available which clearly says that one of your best batsman against that type of bowling…and he had another over left. Iftikhar could have come in late and hit those shots square of the wicket. Then Shaheen’s injury was a big blow,” Misbah said in the same show.
