(Image source: X.com)
[Saba Sports News] Pakistan, who entered the Asia Cup 2023 as one of the favorites to win the tournament, has been eliminated in a virtual semi-final by the Sri Lankan team.
As Sri Lanka won by two wickets, the Babar Azam-led Pakistan face many questions ahead of the upcoming ICC ODI World Cup 2023.
In ODI matches, controlling runs in the middle overs often relies on spinners, who play a pivotal role. However, it’s an opposite case in the Pakistan team, where tweakers appeared flat even on turning tracks throughout the Asia Cup. This issue led Pakistan to be dominated by their opponents in the middle overs.
Shadab Khan, the vice-captain and bowling all-rounder of Pakistan, has not been up to par throughout the tournament. His batting performances in the tournament include scores of four, six, three against Nepal India, and Sri Lanka respectively. Regarding his bowling figures, they stand at 6.4-0-27-4 against Nepal, 9-0-57-0 against India, 7-0-35-0 against Bangladesh, 10-1-72-1 against India, and 9-0-55-1 against Sri Lanka in the last match.
However, Pakistan captain Babar defended Shahab. He also expressed his concern on the lack of wickets taken by the leg-spinner, stating, “Shadab is bowling very well but he is not taking any wicket. So that’s why you feel he is not bowling well. He is bowling well by unfortunately he is not taking any wickets. He is one of your best bowlers, Nawaz and Shadab.”
Babar also praised the debutant Zaman Khan, who played his first ODI against Sri Lanka, and was entrusted to bowl the final over of the innings in which he had only eight runs to defend. Zaman took the match to the last ball in his attempt to defend the runs left for him, falling just short as Sri Lanka pulled off a thriller.
“Yes Zaman Khan has shown character and is doing well in the past, in the PSL and in two PSL finals, where he bowled in the last over. So he has full confidence but international match is a different thing,” Babar added.