Pakistan's batting struggled in their chase of a modest 120-run target against India in the T20 World Cup on June 9. Meanwhile, former Pakistan captain Salim Malik criticized all-rounder Imad Wasim's slow knock, accusing him of wasting balls and hindering the team's pursuit of victory. Pakistan fell short by six runs, marking their second consecutive defeat in the tournament. Malik sharply criticized the team's batting approach, particularly questioning their intent while navigating a tricky pitch at Nassau County. While Pakistan's bowlers had performed admirably, restricting India to a below-par 119, the batting faltered under pressure. Wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan played a fighting knock, but lacked support from his teammates. Decisions around the batting order also raised eyebrows, with all-rounders Imad Wasim and Shadab Khan promoted ahead of Iftikhar Ahmed. This strategy backfired as Pakistan crumbled in the death overs.
‘Imad Wasim made sure he doesn’t get out and keep bettering his batting average’
Malik specifically targeted Wasim's slow knock. He felt the all-rounder, batting at number 5, should have taken more risks instead of consuming 23 deliveries for just 15 runs. This cautious approach, according to Malik, hindered Pakistan's chase and ultimately led to their downfall.
“He [Imad Wasim] made sure he doesn’t get out and keep bettering his batting average. If I’m a batter and I’m not getting runs then I would try taking risk, no matter if I get out. But he kept on eating up deliveries and then changed the ends with singles,” Malik said on 24 News channel.
“Imad Wasim didn’t get to play much cricket since the last PSL. Shadab Khan, who scored 40-odd against the USA in the last game, shouldn’t have been promoted up the order. Sorry, but I would like to question why he [Imad Wasim] was promoted up the order, given that he hadn’t got enough chances before [the World Cup]. The batter should at least have tried something instead of playing dot balls,” he added.
India's pace attack emerged as heroes in their thrilling win against Pakistan. Jasprit Bumrah (3/14) and Hardik Pandya (2/24) delivered exceptional spells, ripping through the Pakistani batting order at crucial moments restricting them to a meager 113 for 7 in their 20 overs. Now, both teams look ahead to their remaining fixtures. India will take on USA on June 12 and then Canada on June 15, while Pakistan will face Canada on June 11 followed by a match against Ireland on June 16.
WATCH HOW SALIM MALIK SLAMMED IMAD WASIM
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