Having suffered Pakistan’s First T20I defeat at the hands of Ireland, Pakistan captain Babar Azam said it was the poor bowling and fielding from his side that remained the major cause of the loss. He said they could not deliver their plans properly, which led to a shocking defeat.
Failure to Execute Plans in Key Phases Pakistan’s First T20I
It was evident in the very first Pakistan’s First T20I team was below par, especially in the initial few overs. Although they put up 182 runs on the board, batting first, Babar felt the team’s performance was not up to the mark considering key aspects of bowling and fielding. “We didn’t start well in the first six overs; the pitch was a bit two-paced and had some bounce,” Babar said. He thought a score of 190 might have been competitive under the circumstances. “We recovered well after that and got 182, but I think 190 was a par score. However, it was the bowling and fielding where we truly lost ground. We didn’t execute our plans and had some sloppy lapses in the field which cost us,” he added.
A turning point of the game The dynamics of the game changed hugely, though, with Andrew Balbirnie and Harry Tector putting together a strong partnership that brought Ireland back into the game. Balbirnie was eventually out to Shaheen Afridi, but further big contributions kept the Irish in the game, led by George Dockrell. This change just brought into the highlights the fact that the strategy of Pakistan bowlers and the execution of fielding was way below the required standard, emphasizing the mistakes they made to lose this important first T20I against Ireland.
Looking forward to 2nd T20I. With the second T20I on Sunday, the Pakistani team needs to get back to the drawing board to improve further. More emphasis will have to be put on bowling more accurately and fielding more tightly. From the mistakes in the first game, the team needs to get back to the drawing board to rectify these specific areas and not repeat them to level up the series. The next game will be the chance for the Pakistan team to undo the damage and try to level the series.
