Pakistan lost to USA in the super over after the main match ended in a tie.
Babar Azam, the Pakistan captain, admitted that the Men in Green tend to take things lightly against weaker opponents. He also conceded that such a mindset may have played a role in their shocking defeat to the the USA in a T20 World Cup 2024 clash on Thursday.
The match had ended in a tie at 159 runs each, but it was the USA, who held their nerves and won the super over.
This isn't the first time Pakistan has lost a match against a lesser power. They lost to Zimbabwe in the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, finishing second, and were recently upset by Ireland in a bilateral T20I match.
“For any tournament, you always come with the best preparation. You can say it’s a kind of mindset. When you come up against a team like this, you relax a little. You take things a little lightly. If you don’t execute your plan against any team, then whatever team it is, they will beat you. So, I believe that we are not up to the mark in executing. We are doing well in preparation but in the match, we are not executing our plans as a team,” Babar Azam told reporters after Pakistan’s loss to the USA.
The USA bowlers did well to dispatch Pakistan's top order cheaply in marginally favorable conditions at Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas. The 2009 world champions lost Mohammad Rizwan (9), Usman Khan (3), and Fakhar Zaman (11) within the first five overs.
Babar and Shadab then put together a 72-run stand for the fourth wicket to stop the slump.
“The first six overs, the ball was holding and was swinging. But the more partnerships we built, it would’ve been better for us. When Shadab and I started the partnership, we got the momentum. I think when we lost the wickets back-to-back, that was the turning point. When you got momentum, you lost it because of losing wickets. It was difficult in the beginning, but we covered it. But as a professional, you have to step up against such a performance or such a team in the batting, in the middle order. This is not an excuse that they played well. I think we played badly,” Babar said.
“In the first six overs, it (pitch) was helpful for fast bowlers. But later on, I didn’t feel it was a different wicket. I was a little settled down. Because the early matches start at 10:30 am, the fast bowlers will get a little help. There is a little juice in the early morning. So, they utilized that. They executed their plan,” Babar added.
Pakistan's top scorer was Babar, who hit 44 off 43 balls, while Shadab scored 40 off 25 balls. He thought the number was adequate for this pitch and their onslaught.
“Even in the second innings I think we got help, but we were not up to the mark. We missed that in the first 10 overs. After that, we came back. But when you make a comeback in the last over, the momentum has already been taken away. But as a bowling, the best bowlers should be able to defend such a total. I think the total we put up was a good one for this pitch as per our bowling,” he said.
(PTI inputs)