ISLAMABAD Oct 24 (Online): Captain Babar Azam rued Pakistan\u2019s failure to put pressure on Afghanistan with spin in Monday\u2019s eight-wicket loss at the World Cup.<\/p>\n
Spinners took no wickets in Chennai as their combined 21 overs conceded 6.23 runs an over. Afghanistan chased down the target of 283 with eight wickets to spare. It was also their first victory over Pakistan in eight One Day International (ODI) matches.<\/p>\n
Spinners have taken only one wicket for Pakistan in the last three matches, all of which the 1992 champions lost as they fell to fifth place.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the middle overs, the spinners didn\u2019t bowl as they should have. They didn\u2019t put pressure on (the opponents),\u201d a dejected Babar told reporters.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we came here, I saw that the margin of error is very low for bowlers. If you bowl a little bit away from the wicket, you will get hit on that ball. So, we are lacking there a little bit,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
In contrast, Afghan spinners bowled a combined 38 overs and picked up four crucial wickets at an economy rate of 4.63; one of the highest uses of spin by any team in World Cup history.<\/p>\n
Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott said the pitch conditions favoured spinners.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think when you\u2019ve got the options like we do it\u2019s foolish not to use them, certainly when looking at that pitch today,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Trott particularly praised 18-year-old Noor Ahmad who took three major wickets in his World Cup debut, giving away just 49 runs in his 10 overs.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs soon as he got that length right, he spins the ball so much,\u201d the coach said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen he\u2019s practising, you hear that ball fizzing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Afghan spinners also played a key role in their shock 69-run win over Defending champion England earlier in the tournament, taking eight wickets with Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan claiming three each.<\/p>\n
The two wins helped propel the Afghans from the bottom of the table to sixth place.<\/p>\n
A turnaround was still possible for Pakistan, Babar said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou never know. It\u2019s cricket. Anything can happen. We will try to play our best cricket till the end,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will try to overcome our mistakes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Pakistan will stay in Chennai to face South Africa on Friday, while Afghanistan play Sri Lanka in Pune on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Historic win over Pakistan will have \u2018great ripple effect\u2019, says Trott<\/p>\n
The win over Pakistan will cause a ripple effect in Afghan cricket and inspire future players, Trott said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis will have a great ripple effect,\u201d Trott told reporters. \u201cI want to make sure that (the players)\u2026 pass it on and remember that game in Chennai when we chased on 283 against Pakistan.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Englishman called the 130-run opening partnership put on by Rehmanullah Gurbaz (65) and Ibrahim Zadran (87) the \u201cturning point\u201d and praised Rahmat Shah, who played through several cramps to help steady the game when the openers fell.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could easily \u2026 get a bit nervous or panicky \u2026 but shot that he played there to hit a straight six sort of broke the back of the game,\u201d Trott said of Shah, who scored an unbeaten 77, 45 of which came from ones and twos.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will say to the players make sure you enjoy these victories but as soon as we (arrive in) Pune \u2026 take the confidence from the game and start looking forward to Sri Lanka,\u201d Trott said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD Oct 24 (Online): Captain Babar Azam rued Pakistan\u2019s failure to put pressure on Afghanistan with spin in Monday\u2019s eight-wicket loss at the World Cup. Spinners took no wickets in Chennai as their combined 21 overs conceded 6.23 runs an over. Afghanistan chased down the […]<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":94845,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11121,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-94843","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cricket-news","category-latest-sports-news"],"yoast_head":"\n