PAK vs AFG: Babar Azam Takes A Dig At His Own Spin Bowlers After A Disappointing Loss To Afghanistan In World Cup 2023
Published - 24 Oct 2023, 12:42 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 10:00 AM
Pakistan captain Babar Azam criticized his team’s spin bowlers after they suffered their third consecutive loss in the ICC World Cup 2023. Babar Azam highlighted the inconsistency in their bowling, which prevents them from building sustained pressure on the opposition.
The Men in Green suffered an 8-wicket loss against Afghanistan at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Monday, October 23. Pakistan posted a total of 282 runs after opting to bat first. Afghanistan successfully chased down the target with one over to spare.
We Can’t Build Pressure – Babar Azam
During the post-match press conference, Babar Azam expressed his concerns about the inconsistency of his team’s spinners in the World Cup 2023.
“Our spinners bowl 4 good balls and then 2 bad balls that go for four. The margin of error is low and there is no consistency so we can’t build pressure and that’s been lacking,” Babar Azam told reporters.
Babar Azam “our spinners bowl 4 good balls and then 2 bad balls that go for four. The margin of error is low and there is no consistency so we can’t build pressure and that’s been lacking” #CWC23 #AFGvPAK pic.twitter.com/GUe4gxElTk
— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) October 23, 2023
Pakistan’s Spinners Struggle To Take Wickets In Disappointing Loss To Afghanistan
Earlier, the Babar Azam-led team managed to score 282 runs in 50 overs. Babar was the top scorer with 74 runs from 92 balls, including one six and four boundaries. Abdullah Shafique contributed 58 runs from 75 balls with the help of two sixes and five boundaries.
Shadab Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed added crucial runs in the death overs to finish the innings strongly. Iftikhar scored 40 runs from 27 balls, while Shadab added 40 runs from 38 balls. Left-arm spinner Noor Ahmed picked up three wickets for 49 runs in his 10-over quota.
Afghanistan openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz (65) and Ibrahim Zadran (87) provided a crucial 130-run partnership in the high-scoring run chase. The openers capitalized on loose deliveries from Pakistani bowlers. Shaheen Shah Afridi broke the stand by missing Gurbaz’s wicket.
The Afghan team added two more partnerships of 60 and an unbeaten 76 runs to secure their first victory against them in ODIs. Pakistan’s spinners struggled to challenge the Afghan batters, conceding 131 runs in 21 overs at an economy rate of 6.2 without taking any wickets.
Also read: Babar Azam Comes Up With Heartwarming Gesture For Afghanistan After Embarrassing Defeat
