Middle-order batter Ahmed Shehzad stated that Pakistan should have chased the 107-run target in their third match of the T20 World Cup 2024 against Canada before 17.3 overs which could have improved their Net Run Rate (NRR) considerably.
Mohammad Rizwan scored 53 off 53 as the Green Shirts managed to chase down the target in New York but Shehzad wasn’t too content due to not chasing the target much earlier.
“A good win for Pakistan in the end, this temperament was needed against India too. Still feel 107 runs against a team like Canada should have been chased before 17.3 overs,” Shehzad posted on X.
Rizwan became the first Pakistan batter to score a fifty in this World Cup and also the third batter to cross fifty in New York.
Meanwhile, Rizwan bagged an unwanted record as this knock is the slowest fifty in the history of the T20 World Cup.
Slowest fifty in men's T20 WC history
52 balls - Mohammad Rizwan vs Canada, 2024
50 balls - David Miller vs The Netherlands, 2024
Chasing the 107-run target, Pakistan had a tough start as they failed to score a boundary in the first four overs. Saim Ayub soon departed for the pavilion after scoring just six runs, leaving the Green Shirts 20-1 in 4.2 overs.
However, Pakistan continued to play with caution as Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan formed a 63-run partnership.
Azam lost his wicket for 33 runs but Rizwan remained on the pitch and took Pakistan over the line by chasing the target in 17.3 overs.
Earlier in the first innings, the day belonged to Pakistan bowlers as the Canadian batters had no answers to their attack. Mohammad Amir, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf all did their part with the ball as the Green Shirts managed to restrict Canada to 106-7 in New York.
For Canada, Aaron Johnson played a valiant knock and scored 52 runs on 44 balls with the help of eight boundaries.
Amir and Rauf bagged two wickets each while Naseem and Shaheen managed to take one each.
- Ahmed Shehzad
