Pakistan closing in on a spot in the semifinals after their third win in the Super-12s
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00:00Hello and welcome to Golf News Straight Back, the chat show all about cricket. Joining me
00:13tonight are Mr Cricket, UAE, Anish Sajjan, along with golf news experts Ashfaq and Shaam.
00:19Right, it was another double-headed day today and we were treated to two crackers. We started
00:25with the West Indies against Bangladesh and then came Pakistan against Afghanistan.
00:30Anish, what were your thoughts on the two matches?
00:33Thank you, Ibrahim. Hello Ashfaq and hello Shaam. I guess, cracker of two games. As you can see,
00:40a super Friday. The first game, obviously, Bangladesh versus West Indies, I thought
00:45Bangladesh would win easily. But in the end, that one-over goal by Bravo was good enough.
00:50And in the end, it's part of the experience of Mahmoodullah that he could not finish the game.
00:54And the second match between Pakistan and Afghanistan, we always say India-Pakistan
01:00rivals. But Afghanistan-Pakistan took it on another level. And at one stage,
01:04it seemed like Pakistan might struggle. Comes in Asif, finishes up the game with four sixes.
01:11Okay, let's delve a little deeper with the first game, West Indies against Bangladesh. It was a
01:15must-win match for both teams if they wanted to progress in the tournament. Both teams had
01:20lost their first two Super 12 games. This one ebbed and flowed throughout until West Indies.
01:24Eventually, they won it by three runs. But they had a big batting order which failed for them
01:29again. Why is that? Part of the reason is the Shahjah wicket. Shahjah wicket has been,
01:40this particular strip has not been conducive to batting in the sense like the ball has not been
01:45coming onto the bat. And it's come slowly off the pitch also, so which means you can't hit through
01:50the line. And West Indies love to, you know, allow the ball to come onto the bat, which doesn't
01:56happen in Shahjah. But having lost the first two matches, especially due to poor batting,
02:03West Indies were all the more cautious, which is why you see the power play was pretty slow.
02:08But what they did was they brought in Rosson Chase who could anchor the innings. And that turned out
02:13to be a smart move because he came in in the fall of Lewis and pretty early in the match actually.
02:20So he linked power play with the middle overs and actually he stayed till the 17th over if I remember
02:26right. So which means he linked power play, middle overs and the slog. So that helped and which is
02:33why somebody like Nicholas Burden would come in pretty late and bang the ball around. So that
02:41helped them reach 146, which at one stage didn't look like it will happen because
02:47so 142 was good enough in the end.
02:50When Chris Gale first came to the West Indies side, he was one of the fastest runners.
02:55But as we know these days, he doesn't move as quick or at all sometimes. So batting with him
03:01can be quite difficult when he doesn't want to run especially. And overall, he's had a really
03:06he's had a really poor tournament. What's gone wrong with Chris Gale?
03:10Well, you have to accept the fact that he's had his fill. He's played enough of international cricket.
03:16And there comes a time when you know that your bat can't do the talking. Like you mentioned,
03:20he can't even run with a good kick. So I'm afraid it's they're carrying an excess baggage.
03:25I'm very sorry to use this word for a player like Universal Boss. He might come out good in one of
03:30the games. But if you're trying to play a World Cup, you need to ensure that you get a guy who
03:34is able to give you consistent runs, whether it is with the bat or with the ball. And I'm afraid
03:39Chris Gale is a finished product and they are unnecessarily carrying this excess baggage.
03:45Yeah, Sham, you're watching the game. Bangladesh couldn't afford to leave it
03:49until the end the way West Indies did because they haven't got the big hitters
03:53lower in the order. And ultimately, they paid the price, didn't they?
03:58Actually, see, Ibrahim, the match looked like a thriller and decided on the last part.
04:04But I felt it very underwhelming because when you chase, you have to be very positive.
04:12You have to take the match by the scruff of the neck. Otherwise, this is the trouble.
04:17You do it, leave it too late. And even four of one ball is certainly doable in 2020.
04:24Every team at this level should be able to do that. But see, so when Bangladesh fails to do
04:31that, you know, there's something more basically wrong with them. Their batting has never been
04:36good in this tournament. In fact, they even lost one of the round one matches that's the qualifiers.
04:40So I think other than the Bangladesh people, because of their pretty or just believe that
04:45Bangladesh can do it. But if you look at this passionately, Bangladesh didn't have the team
04:49or the heart in the tournament. So we've been seeing that in the last three matches, the power
04:54plays, they've been pretty pathetic and which actually spills over into the middle overs and
04:59the sluggish one. Okay, we'll see if the victory gives the West Indies the confidence and maybe
05:05the momentum going forward in the tournament. Meanwhile, in the second match today, Afghanistan
05:12won the toss and decided to bat first, which was a big surprise. It was an excellent start
05:18from Pakistan in the field. They were buzzing, they were looking really good. But it was a,
05:23would you say it was a brave decision by Afghanistan to bat first when chasing a target
05:28has been the best option in the tournament so far? Do you think it showed a lack of experience from them?
05:34Is this question for me, Ram? Yes, I need to go ahead.
05:38Yeah, you see, you're right that they decided to bat first, whereas most of the teams,
05:44especially Dubai, decided to bat second because of the dew. But today there was no dew. I don't
05:48know whether Naveed knows everything about the weather. But having said that, they are depending
05:54on their spinners. But I mentioned during one of the big shows that there is a thin line between
06:00fearless cricket and smart cricket. And the way Afghanistan were playing, that they were hitting
06:04a six, getting out. Hitting a six and getting out. You've got to build the inning the way Naveed and
06:10there was one more guy, Gulabo Bin did it in the end. Otherwise, it would have been third or
06:14third and bowled out for 100. Probably that cost them the game, even though we are all talking about
06:19what Asif did, the damage in the end. But as you said, lack of experience cost Afghanistan this
06:25game. Okay, let's bring Ashfaq in. Obviously, he's very pleased. Pakistan have won three out of three
06:32to be into the semifinal stages. But Afghanistan played with a lot more freedom, I think,
06:38because obviously there's no pressure on them. They're not the favourites to win anything.
06:41I think many people like the way they play. They like to hit every single ball for a six.
06:46Obviously, that's not the best approach. They lost a lot of cheap wickets early on.
06:51But Naveed and Gulabo Bin put on, I think it was a 71-run partnership, which gave them something
06:56to defend. Ashfaq, how good were those two? And how scared were you at one point?
07:02Imran, there are a lot of factors in this game. There's a new rivalry building up between
07:10Pakistan and Afghanistan. If you talk rivalry or rivalry against
07:14between Pakistan and India, they are new rivals, although they learn cricket in Pakistan.
07:19I would say, I will go with you, that they shouldn't have batted first after winning the
07:25toss, because they should have put Pakistan to bat and try to cheer them on, because they have
07:29big hitters like Zazai, who got out early. I think Pakistani bowlers nailed it earlier.
07:39They were hit by Pakistani pace. Shaheen Afridi and Haris was averaging 140 plus,
07:47and they couldn't keep up with that. They tried to hit them big, and they got out.
07:51And the spinners also did a very good job. Imad got two wickets. Hassan was hit by Gulbadin and
07:59Naveed in the 18th over, which was their over. But overall, if you see, the match was very much
08:06in control of Pakistan. Going by the batting lineup, I think Babur Azam stayed innings.
08:13Afghanistan was banking on their spinners, but Babur Azam and Fakhar Zaman, they saw them off
08:20very decently, except Babur got out at the very last delivery of Rashid Khan. Otherwise,
08:28they handled spinners very well. Shoaib Malik was there. Shoaib Malik even hit him for a six.
08:33And Asif, of course, he finished in style. Well,
08:37Afghans had already started celebrating in the stadium, but he just pulled the match back in one
08:43over. It felt like a big moment when Rizwan got out. That was a very big wicket for Afghanistan,
08:50but they just weren't able to take the initiative, were they?
08:55Yes, Sam.
08:58Oh, I'm sorry.
08:58Anis, do you want to take that? Any reason why they just couldn't take the initiative, Sam?
09:07Can you repeat the question?
09:09When Rizwan was out, it was a huge wicket for Afghanistan at that point,
09:14but they just couldn't press on.
09:17I would think I would leave that to Ashfaq to answer that.
09:19I'll answer that question, because as Anisbhai said earlier, the Afghanistan team lacked
09:24experience. They have played only one T20 against Pakistan, and Pakistani players,
09:31when they are in the... Rizwan was a comparatively new guy for them, but Fakhar Zaman and Babur Azam.
09:40Fakhar Zaman is from the tribal area. He played more with the Afghans than with
09:45the Pakistani team in the initial days, because Afghans used to live there and they used to play
09:48there. So he knows them very well. He knows their mentality. He knows their bowling. He knows their
09:54tricks. So he handled them very well. So they couldn't cope up with an experienced player with
10:00Fakhar Zaman and Babur Azam. They didn't have enough firepower, especially
10:05from a fast bowler. The pacer was very, very lousy. I mean, they couldn't do anything with
10:10Pakistan. I mean, they have spinners, spinners work, but they didn't work as they were expecting.
10:16Ash, there was a big moment when Rashid Khan thought that he got Babur Azam LBW,
10:22but the Pakistan captain asked for a review and so five, and then he went on to make 51 runs.
10:28But had he gone then, do you think the game could have been completely different and maybe
10:33gone in Afghanistan's favor? No, I don't think so, because when he got trapped in front of...
10:41for like before, it was just after that he made just like eight runs. He didn't contribute much
10:48because he got out in the next over. So it was not like a big deal. I don't think so.
10:56I'd like to add one point here, Ibrahim. Like when you got Mohammad Rizwan, you have your best bowler
11:02sitting in the rank. Today we are talking because the match got closed and Nabi played a good team.
11:06I always believe attack is the best form of winning the game. And when you have a team's
11:12best player getting out, that is Mohammad Rizwan, and then you have Babur at the other end,
11:16why wouldn't you play your best bowler Rashid Khan? You are leaving him for the 11th over.
11:20You got to go for the kill. You are not defending 200. You are defending 140 or 148.
11:26So bringing Rashid Khan later just delayed the inevitable. But if you had got Rashid Khan earlier,
11:32you probably would have had Sakar Zaman. You never know what would have happened.
11:36But there are no instant parts. But you have the ammunition. Make use of it. Don't leave it for
11:41Christmas. Absolutely. That is why you are weighing on this. They delayed introducing
11:47Rashid Khan in the 11th over. It was too late. By the time Manning was done, they were like on the
11:52move. You are asking too much. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. You're right.
11:58Asif Ali made 27 from 11 against New Zealand to help Pakistan win. And tonight he did even better.
12:04He got 25, I think, from just 7 balls. I think, Ash, it's safe to say that Pakistan have found
12:11themselves a finisher, haven't they? Oh, yes. They are already there in the last...
12:18I last time remember saying they put their one foot. Now they have put both their foots into
12:21the semi-final. They play Namibia and Scotland. I wouldn't be surprised if they top the table.
12:26Now, like off-air, I was talking to Ashfaq, who will they play? He says no team in the other
12:31group is weak. We'll have to see. I believe they will play Australia. And I am telling you this
12:38on air, Imran. I said it last time. It's going to be India-Pakistan final. It's a big statement.
12:49Shahan, impressed with Pakistan again today? I'm sorry. I didn't get to watch the match because I
12:55was stuck in the stadium. So by the time I got back, I had issues with sending my copies. So
13:00I was caught with that. And I got back and I just couldn't get the time to watch.
13:09Please watch them, says Ashfaq. Okay, guys, there are two matches tomorrow. South Africa
13:13against Sri Lanka and a big one, England against Australia. And for all the latest news, reviews
13:19and analysis, of course, head to gulfnews.com. Thanks to my guests. And that's all from us
13:24for tonight. We'll see you tomorrow.
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