Pakistan lost their second consecutive crucial game against Australia following their defeat against India, and Pakistani fans are extremely disappointed with their team’s performance.
Australia won by 62 runs after setting Pakistan a massive target of 368 runs.
Aussie openers David Warner and Mitchell Marsh forged a solid opening partnership of 259 runs, providing a substantial advantage to the Australian team with their brilliant start.
The turning point of the game occurred when Usama Mir dropped a simple catch of David Warner from Shaheen’s bowling in the fourth over of the innings, which proved to be extremely costly for the Green Shirts.
After that dropped catch, David Warner smashed the Pakistan bowling attack and scored a fabulous knock of 163 runs off 124 balls, including 14 fours and 9 sixes.
If Usama Mir had taken that catch, the situation for Pakistan might have been different, or perhaps a dropped catch wouldn’t have cost Pakistan the game.
It should be noted that Usama Mir made his first appearance in this mega event, replacing Shadab Khan.
Pakistan’s premier pace bowler, Haris Rauf, proved to be expensive, conceding 83 runs in his 8 overs. Although he managed to take three wickets and performed well in his final spells, he did not begin well when Pakistan needed a strong start.
Haris also set an unwanted record by conceding the fastest fifty runs in the history of the ODI World Cup. He conceded 50 runs in just 21 balls, marking the fastest ‘half-century’ ever by a bowler in ODI World Cup history.
Shaheen Afridi was the only bowler who bowled extremely well on the flat track, taking a 5-wicket haul while conceding 54 runs in 10 overs. He managed to restrict Australia to a score of 367-9 when it was looking like they would score above 400.
The Pakistani batters started well, with openers Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq establishing a strong opening partnership of 134 runs.
Abdullah scored 64 runs, and Imam scored 70 runs. After that, no other Pakistani batter scored fifty runs, which is the main reason for not being able to chase this mammoth total.
After the unstoppable Babar got out, Pakistan was under pressure, and the run rate dropped, with other batters unable to stay on the crease. Pakistan was eventually bowled out for 305 runs.
Meanwhile, Pakistan needs to bounce back in this mega event. Their next World Cup game is against Afghanistan, which will be a tough challenge for the Green Shirts. Afghanistan also upset the defending champions, England, so that will be a worrisome sign for Babar and his men.
Source: Pro Pakistani