Pakistan Vs Afghanistan: ‘We are hurt…’: Babar Azam after Pakistan’s shock defeat against Afghanistan in ICC World Cup

NEW DELHI: Pakistan’s cricket team was left visibly shaken after an eight-wicket defeat by Afghanistan in a stunning turn of events at the ongoing ICC World Cup on Monday. This defeat has put Pakistan’s semi-finals aspirations in jeopardy, as Afghanistan clinched their first-ever one-day victory over Pakistan in eight attempts.
Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbazwere the heroes of the day for Afghanistan, with Zadran’s brilliant 113-ball 87 and Gurbaz’s swift 53-ball 65, setting a strong foundation with a 130-run partnership for the first wicket.Rahmat Shah’s unbeaten 84-ball 77 and skipperHashmatullah Shahidi‘s 48 not out sealed the deal against a lacklustre Pakistan side.

Pakistan’s captain, Babar Azam, didn’t mince words about the team’s feelings, stating, “We are hurt as a team.” Pakistan, with three defeats and two wins in five matches, now faces a critical challenge in their upcoming match against South Africa at the same Chennai venue.

“We must feel the disappointment, and my message to my team for the remaining matches will be to learn from this defeat,” Azam emphasised. Pakistan managed to post a total of 282/7, with Azam contributing 74 off 95 balls and opener Abdullah Shafique adding 58, after winning the toss and choosing to bat.
Azam noted, “We achieved what we set out to do when we batted, but we were not up to the mark in bowling and fielding.”

Pakistan’s bowlers conceded 17 boundaries in the first 16 overs. Azam credited Afghanistan for their well-deserved victory, remarking, “We failed to put them under pressure, but I congratulate Afghanistan for this victory.”
Afghanistan, who fielded four specialist spinners, claimed their triumph with great spin quality. Azam outlined the team’s strategy, stating, “Afghanistan’s spinners are of good quality, so the plan was to not give them wickets until the 40th over and then charge in the last ten, but we fell some 10-15 runs short.” Noor Ahmad, 18, on his World Cup debut, shone with 3-49, while the experienced Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman remained wicketless.
Despite the shock of Monday’s defeat, Azam remained optimistic about Pakistan’s chances of making it to the semi-finals.

“From now on, we need to play our best cricket in all departments and must overcome our mistakes,” he declared.
Azam also acknowledged the absence of fast bowler Naseem Shah, who was sidelined from the World Cup due to a shoulder injury.
“Of course, Naseem is missed badly because he had been part of our scheme, but overall our bowling has not clicked,” Azam confessed. He further stated, “We knew there is no margin for error on these grounds, and we failed to execute plans. We have been perfect in training, but I think our bowlers over-tried in matches and have leaked runs. We need to focus on positives and adopt a different mindset.”
The cricketing world now eagerly awaits Pakistan’s response to this setback and whether they can recover in time to secure a spot in the semi-finals of the ICC World Cup.
(With inputs from AFP)