According to Babar Azam, the crucial moment in the match was the cooperation between Mohammed Rizwan and Mohammad Nawaz. The competition was the Asia Cup.
After Pakistan’s thrilling victory over India in their Super Four match at the ongoing Asia Cup 2022, Pakistan captain Babar Azam stated that the partnership between Mohammed Rizwan and Mohammad Nawaz was the turning point of the match, and that Mohammad Nawaz was promoted to tackle leg-spinners. This came after Pakistan’s victory by five wickets over India in their Super Four match. Mohammed Rizwan scored an outstanding 71, and Mohammad Nawaz scored 42 off of just 20 balls to power Pakistan to victory.
“Our goal is to maintain a straightforward approach. The good times and bad will never stop alternating. They (India) were able to gain an advantage because to the way in which they utilised the powerplay. However, our bowlers staged a strong comeback. The collaboration between Rizwan and Nawaz was the deciding factor. I had a sneaking suspicion that Nawaz would be essential in the fight against leg spinners (about his promotion) “at the post-match presentation, Azam made this statement.
The spectators were treated to a thrilling day of cricket action, which more than justified the price they paid. Babar Azam and Mohammed Rizwan, the openers for Pakistan, were attempting to get their team off to a good start while chasing 182. They did this by mixing in some occasional monster hits with steady strike rotation. However, India’s spinner Ravi Bishnoi struck in the fourth over, sending back Babar Azam for 14 runs off 10 balls while the batter was attempting to knock the ball over the midwicket area. Babar Azam’s score was 14 runs. At this point, the odds were 22/1 against Pakistan.
The event has been a nightmare for Babar so far, as evidenced by the fact that he just posted his third score that was below 20. The next batter to enter the crease was the southpaw Fakhar Zaman. Rizwan continued to look good from the other end, as Zaman continued to take his sweet time getting settled in. They kept the scoreboard moving in Pakistan’s favour and carried them through the powerplay without causing any additional damage.
Nawaz, on the other hand, was the one who showed some offensive purpose while he was batting. Rizwan, on the other hand, maintained the status quo from the other end. Rizwan reached his fifty in 37 balls with four fours and two sixes, and he also assisted his team in reaching the hundred-run milestone in 12.2 overs. The two batsmen pushed their fifty-run partnership up in just 29 balls, which allowed Pakistan to remain in the game. Pakistan needed 63 runs in the final six overs of their innings.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the one who handed Team India the much-needed breakthrough they were looking for. He sent Nawaz back for 42 runs off of 20 balls, which broke the 73-run partnership that the two had been putting together. Deepak Hooda was the one who made a spectacular catch in long off.
Pakistan needed to score 34 runs in the final three overs of their innings. On the crease, Asif Ali was now playing alongside Khushdil Shah. Ravi Bishnoi was on the scene to provide the following over. Arshdeep Singh decided to no longer work with Asif Ali. During his tenure, Bishnoi was also responsible for a few wides. Pakistan required 25 runs in the final two overs of their innings.
Arshdeep arrived to bowl the final over of the match. It was down to him that Team India’s hopes were kept alive when he took the wicket of Asif Ali, when they required two runs in two deliveries. Ali was dismissed after scoring 16 runs off seven balls. The next hitter to step up was Iftikhar Ahmed. In the end, Pakistan triumphed over India by a score of five wickets with one ball remaining.
