Pakistan made a few questionable decisions in their 61-run loss to India. Apart from Salman Agha bowling the first over, nothing worked in Pakistan's favour as they were outclassed in all departments of the game. Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson turned up to face the heat in the post-match press conference and tried to justify why their much-talked-about mystery spinner Usman Tariq was held back despite Ishan Kishan going berserk. Pakistan sticking to their previous match's script by holding back Tariq backfired as the damage was already done by a free-flowing Kishan. Hesson defended the decision and pointed at what Abrar Ahmed and Shadab Khan have done so far for Pakistan.
“Usman has a very specific role for us and is excellent when batters go after him. Could he have bowled after the powerplay? Yes. But Abrar Ahmed and Shadab Khan have done a very good job for us post-powerplay. They each had an over that didn’t go their way in terms of length, but I’d back them any day. It didn’t work today. Usman Tariq, though, was exceptional tonight,” Hesson told the reporters in Colombo.
Tariq as introduced in the 11th over and was welcomed by a boundary from India captain Suryakumar Yadav. He conceded just one more boundary in his quota of four overs. In the penultimate over, he managed to dismiss Suryakumar. He conceded 24 runs from four overs but it did not have much effect on the outcome of the game.
Hesson on why Pakistan bowled first
Hesson was also asked whether Pakistan should’ve batted first and put runs on the board to win in Colombo. Hesson defended the toss decision but blamed spinners for not executing their plans.
“No. The ball actually spun half as much in the second innings and skidded on. There was nothing wrong with the decision. It was about execution in the first six overs and the way Ishan played. The pitch didn’t slow down; it spun less. It wasn’t the toss — it was execution,” the former New Zealand cricketer said.
Pakistan’s NRR takes a huge hit
Pakistan’s net run rate copped a huge blow as they slipped to the third spot on the points table. This makes Pakistan’s next match against Namibia a must-win encounter. While Pakistan are highly likely to edge past Namibia and advance to Super 8s, the big loss will lead to some pressure on them when they take the field on February 18. If Namibia pull off an upset, USA will progress to the Super 8 stage.