The Pakistani batters struggled to get going against Team India during their T20 World Cup 2022 clash at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday, October 23.
While Shan Masood and Iftikhar Ahmed slammed impressive half-centuries, the rest of the batters failed to make a significant impact in the encounter. Shaheen Afridi produced some late blitz with his 8-ball 16-run knock to make things better for the Men in Green.
Apart from the aforementioned three names, all the other Pakistani batters could manage just single-digit scorers in the crucial tie. The Babar Azam-led side finished at 159/8 from their 20 overs after being put in to bat first.
A number of fans took to social media, trolling Pakistan for their sub-par performance with the bat against India. Here are some of the reactions:
Notably, Pakistan were on the backfoot after Arshdeep Singh removed openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan early with the new ball. However, they came up with an improved performance in the second half, scoring 99 runs off the final 10 overs to post a fighting total.
Team India's Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya bag three wickets each against Pakistan
Indian bowlers performed admirably against Pakistan in their opening encounter of the T20 World Cup 2022. Arshdeep was the pick of the bowlers for the Men in Blue, picking up three crucial wickets while conceding 32 runs from his full quota of four overs.
All-rounder Hadik Pandya too made a significant impact with the ball, claiming three scalps. Senior pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami also impressed with their tidy spells and bagged a wicket each.
For Pakistan, Shan Masood was the top scorer with the bat, remaining unbeaten on 52 off 42 balls. Iftikhar Ahmed played a gutsy knock under pressure, mustering 51 runs from 34 balls.
Both Masood and Ahmed stitched together a vital 76-run partnership to steady the ship for Pakistan after a shaky start. However, the other middle-order batters perished early and the side failed to register an imposing total.
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