Pakistan captain Babar Azam, on Sunday (November 7), said that the aim of the Men in Green is to carry the remarkable momentum of the group stage in the semi-finals of the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021.
Pakistan finished the group stage with five wins out of the five games after they defeated Scotland by 72 runs in their last group game on Friday in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2021 in Sharjah.
From Group 2, Pakistan and New Zealand qualified for the semi-finals, while Australia and England made it to the top four from Group 1. Pakistan will face Australia in the second semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2021 on November 11 in Dubai, with the final taking place on November 14.
Coming to the match, Babar struck 66 off 47 balls, while Shoaib Malik smashed an 18-ball 54, and Mohammad Hafeez made 31 in 19 deliveries to help Pakistan post 189/4 against Scotland. Later, the Men in Green restricted Scotland to 117/6 to win the game by 72 runs on Sunday in Sharjah.
Babar said about Pakistan’s winning streak at T20 World Cup 2021 during the post-match presentation: “We are confident about each other's ability. We are playing as a unit and hence playing consistent cricket. We wanted to bat first. We couldn't play well in the powerplay.”
The skipper further added, “Hafeez played well and so did Malik. He used his experience and played well towards the end. We have been confident. We would want to continue with the same momentum. Dubai is one of the best stadiums. We love the fans over here and there as well. The way they come and cheer for us is amazing.”
Meanwhile, Scotland captain Kyle Coetzer hoped his team's performance has inspired the youngster to take up the sport in the country while saying playing in the UAE conditions was challenging for his team.
Coetzer said after the match, “Going home, we hope we have inspired people back home. If you play hard enough, you can be a part of a competition like this. We have got some fantastic players in our group. Playing in these conditions was challenging for us.”
He concluded, “And then we will assess what would be the challenges when we play the World Cup in Australia (next year).”
(With PTI Inputs)
