By Ishtiaq Ahmed
I believe it was not a good decision to bowl first on this type of pitch. In my opinion, Pakistan should have batted first and set a target of around 150 or more. I also question why Usman Tariq was brought into the attack only after India had already crossed the 100-run mark. By then, the momentum had clearly shifted.
I felt that the Indian batsmen adjusted themselves well according to the conditions, except for Hardik Pandya, who played a poor shot. On the other hand, I think our batsmen failed to assess the match situation properly. Shibzada Farhan played an irresponsible shot and got himself out. Saim Ayub also misjudged a delivery and lost his wicket. Our captain struggled to time the ball and ended up giving an easy catch to the fielder. Usman Khan, in my view, played a reckless shot that cost us dearly.
When a batsman scores more than 40 runs, I strongly believe it becomes crucial to convert that start into at least 80. Shot selection at the international level is extremely important and I feel that was lacking. Even Babar Azam threw away his wicket, which I consider unacceptable for a player of his calibre.
In my opinion, Shadab Khan does not deserve a place in the team at the moment as he has not performed effectively either as a batsman or as a bowler. I also question why Faheem Ashraf was sent to bat at number eight. I believe Fakhar Zaman should have been included in the team considering his impressive batting record against India. Furthermore, I feel that Mohammad Rizwan and Haris Rauf should have been part of the squad.
I do not understand why we played with only one specialist fast bowler when Pakistan has such a strong pool of pace bowlers. I hold the selection committee and team management accountable for these decisions.
Lastly, I would like to add that the standard of umpiring in the match was commendable. The umpires remained focused and maintained a high standard throughout the game.
Note: The writer has been ex-first-class cricketer, ex-PCB elite panel umpire and
ex–ICC Referee
