IND vs PAK: 'Naseem Shah Didn't Make Us Feel That'- Babar Azam On Missing Shaheen Afridi

Babar Azam feels that his bowlers displayed good performance against a power-packed batting lineup of India. Naseem Shah who was playing his maiden T20I match had a wonderful time with the ball in hand. He got rid of KL Rahul in the very first over for a golden duck. He almost got the wicket of Virat Kohli but was dropped by Fakhar Zaman in the slips.

It looked as if Pakistani bowlers are in Vintage form. They were getting ample support from the pitch where there was a tinge of grass which made life easier. The top order of the Indian batting lineup was surprised by seeing the nature of the wicket. Rohit Sharma was quite watchful in his approach which was the need of the hour for the team as his wicket was priceless.

Babar Azam on Naseem Shah

Babar Azam: “Look, fast bowlers are always pumped up and they are always aggressive. The way he (Naseem Shah) started, albeit we missed Shaheen (Shah Afridi) a lot, but he didn’t make us feel that…the way he bowled with the new ball and at the death was very good”. Babar said in the press conference.

“I think we didn’t have partnerships. If we could build partnerships, then there is pressure on the other team…we just had small partnerships but needed a big one, like over 50 runs. So that we missed. And in the last few overs, I think we couldn’t make use of it. But the way the tail wagged, like the runs scored by Dahani and Harris, was good for a fightback and we fought well after that”. He concluded

Naseem Shah on fire

Naseem Shah, the debutant had a dream debut where he got noticed by the entire Cricket Fraternity. His outswing delivery somewhat was a surprise as his inswing deliveries were creating damage. The fast bowler showed as if he is playing the 30th T20I match and just like Babar Azam mentioned; Shaheen wasn’t missed.

He though was seen cramping during his last over but was adamant as he completed his over. It shows how crucial & important the game was for the youngster. The conditions for the fast bowlers were not ideal as there was a lot of heat which made life harder for them.

Also Read: IND vs PAK: ‘Babar Azam Should Have Come One Down Instead Of Open’: Shoaib Akhtar