Legendary Wasim Akram admitted that a one-sided loss against arch-rivals India left him depressed. India registered a thumping seven-wicket win against Pakistan in the Group A fixture at Dubai on Sunday to confirm their place in the Super Four.
After electing to bat first, Pakistan could only manage 127-9 in their 20 overs, which was a below-par score. The Men in Green kept losing wickets at regular intervals and could not come up with a collective effort. Kuldeep Yadav was the pick of the Indian bowlers as he returned with impressive figures of 3-18 in his quota of four overs.
India were able to get over the line with 25 balls to spare after captain Suryakumar Yadav scored an unbeaten 47 and it was a one-sided affair between the two rivals.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Pakistan registered a nervy 41-run win against the UAE. Salman Agha’s team could only manage 146-9 in their 20 overs as the batting unit once again failed to impress, barring Fakhar Zaman, who scored a fifty.
UAE was bowled out for 105 as Shaheen Shah Afridi, Abrar Ahmed and Haris Rauf bagged two wickets apiece. With this win, Pakistan were able to qualify for the Super Four.
“Of course, we feel like every other Pakistani. We love our cricket, and winning or losing is part of the game, I know that from having played so much for Pakistan. But the way we lost to India, in such a one-sided game, was tough to take. Even today, you could see the players under pressure, with technical faults showing. I’m human too, and at times it does leave me feeling down and depressed.”
India and Pakistan will once again take on each other at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai on Sunday.