Pakistan’s Shadab Khan performs a shot in the course of the match between Pakistan and South Africa.
| Photo Credit: RAGU R
Close video games, particularly ones misplaced by the barest of margins, can push you adequate to beat the world or break your spirit. Pakistan, needing a win towards South Africa of their World Cup league stage sport right here on Friday, got here as shut as it presumably might earlier than letting the Proteas slip via with a one-wicket win.
Coach Mickey Arthur couldn’t assist however smile helplessly on the consequence his boys must abdomen over the following few days.
“To be brutally honest, we haven’t put together the perfect game yet. We haven’t batted well enough as a unit.
“The par score here on this pitch was 300. I thought we bowled really well, perhaps this was our best bowling performance even but we didn’t put together enough runs on the board,” he mentioned after the sport.
“You have to have one of your top four sticking around at the 40-over mark. Our success over the past year stemmed from there,” Arthur assessed.
Pakistan’s feeble defence noticed the facet have little management over proceedings, besides in the direction of the tip, when wickets started to tumble for the South Africans. The consequence turns up the warmth on an already under-pressure skipper Babar Azam.
“It’s unfair to start a witch hunt, certainly of Babar Azam, or Inzy (chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq) or on the coaching contingent. The efforts have been first class. Our fortunes are not because of a lack of effort. Tonight I’m proud of the boys because they fought. We were below par with the bat but the bowlers were very good today, they gave it everything,” Arthur added.
