After a rollercoaster ride of being in or out of the tournament, Pakistan reached the finals and fought against England. Unfortunately, they lost the trophy and crushed all hopes of a glimmer of happiness for the nation. The boys indeed played well, but not well enough to become champions.
Cricket is one of the most sought-after sports in Pakistan. World cups, local tournaments, and one-on-one series within or outside the country are enjoyed with much fervour. During world cups, people invite their friends and family over to watch the game together. The matches are no less than a celebration such as Eid. This time around, Pakistan had a rough start and people thought the team was out of the tournament. However, thanks to the losses of strong teams such as South Africa, the country was back in the game. The semi-final against New Zealand was an interesting match where both the batters and the bowlers showed their talent on the ground. Babar Azam came back into form after many games, and the ever-reliable Muhammad Rizwan scored quite well. Bowlers such as Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf played tremendously throughout the tournament. After the semi-final, it seemed like Pakistan would be the champion after many years. However, that did not happen.
Netizens were quick to compare the current T20 World Cup with the 1992 ODI World Cup that Pakistan won under the leadership of Imran Khan. The losses in the first few matches, the rain, Australia as the host, and the final match with England resulted in many thinking that this trophy would also be Pakistan’s. Unfortunately, the predictions were wrong, and the team lost.
The Pakistani team’s strength is its bowlers. Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf, and Naseem Shah have carried the matches on their shoulders. The batting side is not the worst, but it needs much improvement to create a stronger team. Even though the top two batters in the world are Muhammad Rizwan and Babar Azam, the rest of the batting order is not as strong. This time, several players, such as Iftikhar and Shan Masood, played quite well. However, in the final match, they could not make enough scores to win the match. Had Pakistan won the toss and chosen to bowl first or had England chosen to bat first, the match could have tipped in favour of the green shirts. However, England knew the strengths and weaknesses of their opponents, so they let them take charge first. Moreover, Shaheen Shah’s untimely injury was the final blow towards Pakistan as the world-class bowler still had two overs left and he could have won the match for Pakistan.
The whole series was entertaining and the team sure does know how to keep everyone’s attention. Pakistan did reach the finals even after losing many of the earlier matches and when it could, it played well. For future matches, the team must improve its batting and must not lose its spirit as the nation will always support them no matter what.
