Now Pakistan must learn how to close out big games: Masood
Melbourne, Australia - Pakistan can take pride in getting to the World Cup final but now their
young team must take the next step - learning how to close out tight games, said batsman Shan Masood on Sunday.
Babar Azam’s men pushed England all the way at the Melbourne Cricket Ground but fell to a five-wicket defeat with six balls remaining after setting a belowpar 138-run target to win.
Masood top-scored with 38 and said he took responsibility
for not staying around longer to put together a bigger total.
“There were stages especially with the bat that we could have
finished things off really well,” he said. “Personally, I take blame for it. We were aiming for 170 and having looked at the way the innings ended, we could have used a bats-man staying in and getting us to at least 155-160, which
would have been good on that pitch.”
Instead they fell short, leaving it up to their renowned pace attack to blunt England. But Ben
Stokes’s unbeaten 52 was enough to take his team home.
Pakistan suffered a blow when strike bowler Shaheen Afridi was
injured catching Harry Brooks in the deep and unable to complete his final two overs at the death.
“We could have done with his two overs at the end,” Masood
said. “I hope he is OK. It’s his knee. From what I am hearing all his ligament tests are clear.”
Despite the defeat, Pakistan’s performance in Australia ex
ceeded expectations after they lost their first two matches in the
Super 12 to India and Zimbabwe.