Defeat from the co-host USA, in the first match of ICC T20 World Cup 2024, resulted in backlash from fans as well as from some of the experts across the globe.
Pakistan struggled against a well prepared USA bowling attack and posted 159-8 in 20 overs. USA levelled the score on the last ball, taking the game into a super over.
Mohammad Amir, the experienced bowler from Pakistan, had conceded just 10 runs in the final two overs. With Amir’s efforts USA was forced into a Super Over.
Expectedly Amir was the name for captain Babar Azam to bowl in the Super Over. However, USA pulled off 18 runs from the Super Over with Amir conceding 8 runs via wides. USA, later limited Pakistan at only 13 runs.
The shocking loss of Pakistan in the ‘Group A’ encounter put Amir’s performance in the spotlight of experts. As they started critiquing the veteran bowler, former India cricketer Ajay Jadeja jumped to his defense highlighting that the player returned after years of retirement, and so his errors should not be over-analyzed.
Drawing comparison with India’s Ravichandran Ashwin, who had also returned after four years of absence from the international format, Jadeja remarked on a YouTube show ‘Caught Behind’.
“If you want to sit and analysis that over from Amir, you would say that he is completely out of touch. But think from his point of view. He returned after four years with presumably the captain having a say, like we did with Ravichandran Ashwin. He too returned after four years and was not playing that format. Then you give that player a responsibility like that.”
He further added, “He (Amir) is also human. Yes there was pressure, but it was on others as well. Tell me how many runs were conceded via overthrows? There was sadness, disappointment…but we shouldn’t analyse on that level.”
Earlier at the post-match presentation, Babar Azam also defended his bowler saying,
“He [Amir] is an experienced bowler…He knows how to bowl and we were just trying to bowl according to field. But I think the US batsmen were smart. Even when the ball went to the keeper, they were running. So I think that thing was a plus point for them in the Super Over.”
With this defeat and the scrutiny that followed Pakistan will be under pressure as they head into a key battle against arch-rivals India on June 9.
Tabinda Mir is a writer from Kashmir. She is an English Honours graduate and her interests primarily dwell in poetry and sports writing. She likes to cover Cricket as an avid fan. Apart from sports, her other publications include articles, poems and a letter to summer in the book titled, “Under The Summer Skies”.
Also, her leisure time activities include reading novels, poetry, non literary works, philosophies and writing poetry, short stories, articles on diverse themes.
