Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf was elated to be able to execute the plans given to him after Men in Green registered a 5-wicket win over New Zealand in their second game in the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 on Tuesday (October 26) in Sharjah.
Rauf produced a stunning bowling effort (4/22) to help Pakistan restrict New Zealand to 134/8 in 20 overs, which the Men in Green chased down in 18.4 overs with 5 wickets in hand to record their second consecutive win in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2021.
After the match on Tuesday, Rauf stated: “I was given a plan and I am happy that I executed that well and got four wickets. It is a learning process for me. Big Bash League and Pakistan Super League were the first platforms from where I have learned a lot.”
Meanwhile, Pakistan is leading the Group 2 of the Super 12 Stages with four points and will next take on Afghanistan in Dubai on Friday (October 29) in the T20 World Cup 2021.
Reacting to the thrilling win over New Zealand after crushing India in the previous game, Pakistan vice-captain Shadab Khan said these two wins are very important for the side in the tournament.
Shadab said, “We needed these two wins for a head start in the Twenty20 World Cup and through some good bowling and fielding we have achieved that. The confidence is very high and we want to take this momentum in our next matches as the first target is to reach the semi-finals.”
He also hailed Shoaib Malik's experience as “invaluable” as the veteran all-rounder contributed 26* crucial runs in Pakistan’s successful chase against the Black Caps on Tuesday.
Khan signed off by saying, “Malik took the game to the final overs and that shows how much experience he has and with him anchoring the innings we were sure that we will cross the target.”
(With AFP Inputs)
