Mohammad Nawaz was named Player of the Match for his brilliant all-round performance
Pakistan's Asia Cup 2022 campaign didn't get off to the best of starts as they were defeated by India in the group stage, but they responded brilliantly by thrashing Hong Kong with a margin of 155 runs. As a result, the Babar Azam-led side qualified for the Super-4 stage.
On Sunday (September 4), Pakistan took revenge against their arch-rivals as they chased down a steep target of 182 with a ball to spare.
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam remarked after the match that his team tries not to complicate things.
"I try to keep things simple. Credit goes to the team for the effort they put in,” Babar was quoted as saying in the post-match presentation ceremony.
After being put in to bat first, Team India got off to a flying start thanks to openers Rohit Sharma (28 off 16 balls) and KL Rahul (28 off 16 balls) putting on a stunning display in the powerplay overs.
Virat Kohli struck a magnificent half-century (60 off 44 balls), his second consecutive to take the team’s total to 181/7.
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In reply, Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan once again produced brilliance with his bat as he top-scored with 71 off 51 balls. Mohammad Nawaz, who was promoted to the number 4 position to counter the leg-spinners, played an explosive knock of 20-ball 42.
The duo of Nawaz and Rizwan put on a match-winning 73-run partnership for the third wicket. Babar described this partnership as outstanding.
"I thought they had an edge after the way they utilized the PP. But the bowlers came back to restrict them. I didn't fire today but Nawaz and Rizwan's partnership was outstanding. I thought Nawaz could exceed because they had two leg-spinners operating, so we sent him up. Our spinners and fast bowlers at the death set the stage for us," he added.
Nawaz was also very economical with the ball, conceding just 25 runs in his four overs and taking the crucial wicket of Suryakumar Yadav.
The Men in Green will next take on Afghanistan in Dubai on Wednesday (September 07).
(STAR SPORTS INPUTS)