Shaheen Afridi Babar Azam Harry Brook Alex Hales Netherlands South Africa Zimbabwe India Pakistan cricket bowling Shaheen Afridi Babar Azam Harry Brook Alex Hales Netherlands South Africa Zimbabwe India Pakistan

Babar proud of Pakistan's fight, says Afridi injury cost them final

channelnewsasia.com

MELBOURNE : Pakistan captain Babar Azam is proud of his team's rollercoaster run in the Twenty20 World Cup and believes the injury to pace spearhead Shaheen Afridi cost them victory in Sunday's final against England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.Having begun their campaign with defeats by India and Zimbabwe, the 2009 champions looked set to exit the tournament but still made the semi-finals after the Netherlands did them a huge favour by pulling off an upset win against South Africa.Pakistan strung together four victories on the trot to make the final but managed a meagre 137-8 on Sunday after being put in to bat on a tricky track.Their lion-hearted bowlers reduced England to 45-3 in the sixth over but Afridi hurt his right knee in the 13th over when taking catch at long off to dismiss Harry Brook."We were probably 20 runs short with the bat but we started well with the ball in the first six overs and made a comeback in the middle overs," Babar told reporters after their five-wicket defeat."Unfortunately, Shaheen got injured and that shifted the match in England's favour.

It could have been a different result but for Shaheen's injury."Afridi, whose two-over spell of 13-1 included the wicket of England's in-form opener Alex Hales, returned to the field after getting treatment but could bowl only one delivery before hobbling off.Spinner Iftikhar Ahmed stepped in to complete the over and was hit for a six and a four by Ben Stokes which eased the pressure on England.Babar was happy with how Pakistan returned from the brink of elimination to reach the final."We did not start well but we grabbed our opportunity and won four matches," he said. "It's always sad to reach the final and not win, and we had the same outcome in the

Related News
RAWALPINDI, Pakistan : Pakistan skipper Babar Azam became the seventh batsman to smash a century on Saturday, on day three of a veritable runfest in the opening test against England in Rawalpindi, but the visitors remain on course for a solid first innings lead.
England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and elected to bat in the opening test against Pakistan on Thursday, the match going ahead as scheduled despite a virus having swept through the visitors' camp in Rawalpindi during the week.
MELBOURNE: England beat Pakistan by five wickets at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday to win their second Twenty20 World Cup title and burnish their claim as the pre-eminent superpower in white ball cricket. Thirty years after losing the 50-over World Cup final to Pakistan at the MCG, England turned the tables on the south Asians with brilliant death bowling and a Ben Stokes half-century that reeled in a modest victory target of 138.
MELBOURNE : Pakistan set England a modest target of 138 for victory in the T20 World Cup final on Sunday after being sent in to bat by England captain Jos Buttler at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Latest News

Change privacy settings
This page might use cookies if your analytics vendor requires them.