Shadab reveals Nawaz's harrowing experience following matches against India and Zimbabwe
Nawaz bowled the final over of the match against India where the side chased down the target on the last ball of the match; against Zimbabwe, Nawaz found himself on strike in the final over, and was dismissed when Pakistan required 3 runs off 2 deliveries. The side had eventually lost the game by a run. Shadab Khan has now revealed how tensed Nawaz had become after the loss against Zimbabwe.
Pakistan will face England in the titular clash of the T20 World Cup on Sunday at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. The Babar Azam-led side had defeated New Zealand in the first semi-final of the tournament in Sydney on Wednesday, while England thrashed India by 10 wickets a day later to set up the final showdown. Pakistan have had a miraculous run to the final – they were on the verge of being knocked out after their opening two losses (against India and Zimbabwe); however, the side went to win against Netherlands and South Africa, and had a massive upset going in their favour when the Dutch defeated the Proteas to ease Pakistan's way into the semis.
Regardless, it hadn't been an easy start for Pakistan and the side's star all-rounder Shadab Khan revealed the tension in the dressing room after the side's second loss against Zimbabwe. The all-rounder recalled his conversation with Mohammad Nawaz, who was involved in the critical moments of both defeats.
Nawaz bowled the final over of the match against India where the side chased down the target on the last ball of the match; against Zimbabwe, Nawaz found himself on strike in the final over, and was dismissed when Pakistan required 3 runs off 2 deliveries. The side had eventually lost the game by a run. Shadab Khan has now revealed how tensed Nawaz had become after the loss against Zimbabwe.
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"I think personally, we dominated in both the games that we lost. Nawaz was there on both occasions, and after the Zimbabwe game, he came to me (and said), 'I try to forget. But when I wake up, I remember 3-ball 13, and 3 ball 3. And I say, 'What I have done!'" Shadab said in an interview with Nasser Hussain on Sky Sports Cricket.
"We played a lot of good cricket. But we couldn't finish it. Otherwise, we've done well as a team. And that's why we have confidence on ourselves," Shadab said further.
Pakistan will be eyeing a second T20 World Cup title; they had won their first in 2009 under the captaincy of Younis Khan, when they defeated Sri Lanka in the final.
