Pakistan crashed to a 60-run defeat in opposition to New Zealand of their opening sport of Champions Trophy 2025. Chasing a stiff goal of 321, Pakistan have been by no means actually within the hunt, following a poor begin that noticed them handle solely 22 of their first 10 overs. Pakistan stalwart Babar Azam couldn’t hearth, and was significantly criticised for his gradual strike charge. India batter Cheteshwar Pujara pinpointed precisely why Babar failed to attain massive, and criticised his method through the run chase.
Pujara dissected precisely the place Babar went flawed through the run chase.
“There was no intent. Babar’s footwork in opposition to the spinner was not good. He was not utilizing his toes. He was not reaching for the ball. He was ready for the ball to return to him,” Pujara mentioned, talking on the post-match present of ‘Sports Central‘.
Babar took as many as 81 balls to notch up his half-century, and scored solely 64 off 90 balls by the top.
Pujara said that Babar didn’t bat as freely as he might’ve, and will have been slowed down by stress.
“It seems to be like there was a psychological stress on him. In ODI cricket, it is advisable to bat with freedom. He’s a pure stroke participant. He must bat with extra freedom. He must rotate strike and hit these odd boundaries. These days, a strike charge of 70 and 80 will not be adequate. You should not play to your personal runs,” said Pujara.
Pakistan are anticipated to be beneath stress. In spite of everything, it’s the first time in almost three many years that the nation is internet hosting a significant ICC occasion, with the final time being the 1996 World Cup, which they co-hosted with India and Sri Lanka.
Babar’s cautious method got here after Pakistan misplaced two wickets within the first 10 overs, as makeshift opener Saud Shakeel and captain Mohammad Rizwan departed cheaply. Rizwan was dismissed after a shocking acrobatic one-handed catch at level by New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips.
Pakistan bought a lift due to fiery knocks by Salman Ali Agha (42 off 28) and Khushdil Shah (69 off 49), however the two’s efforts weren’t sufficient.
Pakistan fell 60 runs quick in the long run, which means that their house Champions Trophy marketing campaign bought off to a troublesome begin. They now need to journey to Dubai to tackle arch-rivals India on February 23, earlier than coming again house to Rawalpindi for the ultimate group sport in opposition to Bangladesh.
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