Pakistan suffered back-to-back defeats in the T20 World Cup 2024, following their loss against arch-rivals India at the Nassau County Stadium, New York, on Sunday, June 9.
The team led by captain Babar Azam had earlier lost against co-hosts United States of America (USA) in the Super Over, which was a shocking upset to start the tournament. They are now on the verge of failing to qualify for the Super Eight and of exiting in the group stages.
Former Pakistan cricketer and coach, Rashid Latif believes that they were doomed right from the start of the World Cup campaign due to the team combination selected for the big tournament.
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Were Pakistan doomed from the start of the T20 World Cup 2024?
Former Pakistan cricketer Rashid Latif was reviewing and discussing about Pakistan's 6-run loss against India on a YouTube channel "Caught Behind".
Latif talked about Rishabh Pant's impact on the result of the match and said that his innings of 42 runs off 31 was a differentiator in the powerplay between the two teams at New York, saying:
"Rishabh Pant attacked from the start. They [India] made more runs than us in the first six overs. We had made only 36 runs."
Latif further discussed about the difference in approach of the batters from both teams, implying that Pant's innings which was complete with intent was the difference maker in the result of the game, saying:
"India changed the batting order - at the top they played all left-handers, all shot makers, none of them were defensive players. Rishabh is the only one who could play here. The 40-42 runs he scored were equal to 70-80 runs on a normal pitch. India lost their way at the end; their batters made mistakes and gave their wickets cheaply."
Team India were in a strong position to post a target over 150, after the end of 10 overs when they were 81/3, however, poor shot-making from the new batters at the crease and quick fall of wickets, limited them to post just 119 runs on board.
The former cricketer criticized Pakistan's team combination for the big event.
"[In overcast conditions like at New York] The batters were finding it difficult to middle the ball. That created a more level playing field. Pakistan was able to go neck-and-neck with India because of the pitch. Otherwise, they had no chance. A team that has 3 batsmen, 3 keepers, 5 fast bowlers, 3 spinners cannot compete equally. It was the condition and behaviour of the pitch that they could put up a fight."
Latif concluded by saying that Pakistan could only compete with India with this team combination because of the pitch conditions and aid for the fast bowlers. Their lack of quality and style of approach with the bat, cost them a chance to beat their arch-rivals and also the hopes of qualifying for the Super Eight stage.
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