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Babar Azam (Pakistan Captain) post-match interview - 6th June 2024
“We couldn't capitalize the power play and after that we tried to build a partnership but we couldn't do well in the middle and late overs”
“To be honest, we weren't up to the mark as a bowling unit, we failed to take wickets, and in the middle overs spinners couldn't make any difference “
“We will try to come back, our campaign isn't over yet so we will try our best in the next games “
“It's very hard to lose to a side against the USA but all credits to them for playing good cricket in all three departments. “
“Yes, the pitch was two-faced and it was difficult to bat on but it's not an excuse”
[Reporter:]
It’s really shocking that you lost. Is it a surprise or – what’s your feeling now?
[Babar Azam:]
To be honest, I am feeling good. If you lose a match, you are always upset. I think we are not playing well, on both sides. Fielding, bowling, and batting. For 6 overs- I think we did not capitalize properly, but later on, after 10 overs we gained momentum, but again we lost too many wickets and then our momentum was gone. So yeah,
I think as a batting unit, we need to step up in the middle overs and in the end. So yeah.
[Reporter:]
What was the direction from you to the bowler when the bowler delivered the super over?
[Babar Azam:]
He is an experienced bowler. He knows how to bowl and we were just trying to field the ball accordingly, but I think the US batsman was a bit smarter when the ball was coming to the keeper, he was running. So, I think that thing was a plus point for that batsman in the Super Over.
[Reporter:]
Do you think that it’s an upset or they played extraordinarily and they beat you in all sections?
[Babar Azam:]
Yes, I am upset. We are not playing well in all three departments. We are better than that in bowling, we are not taking wickets in the first six overs. In the middle overs, our spinner is not taking wickets then the pressure is on us. And after 10 overs, we will come back. But I think the way they finished the game in the super overs, I think credit goes to the US team.
[Reporter:]
You played the semi-final in 2021, you even played the finals in 2022 – you have good performances against the big teams. But against these small teams - Pakistan has been losing a lot of games, even Bilateral, even in the World Cup. So, you don’t prepare like that or the batsmen take it lightly, bowlers take it lightly. There must be some reason for you to lose against the associates.
[Babar Azam:]
See, whenever you come in any tournament, you always do the best preparation. You can say it’s a kind of mindset. When you come up against a team like this, you relax a little. You take things a little lightly. See, if you don’t execute your plan against any team, then whatever team it is, they will beat you. So, I believe that we are not up to the mark in executing. We are doing well in preparation but in the match, we are not executing our plans as a team.
[Reporter:]
It’s obviously very hot today. How hard was it out there with you not having those preparation games because of the weather here in Dallas last week?
[Babar Azam:]
No, the weather is not a disturbance. We are used to it, as professionals, you see, sometimes you see the clouds, sometimes you see the sun out, but as a professional, you need to understand the weather. But yeah, Both teams were playing in the same weather, so I don’t think so.
[Reporter:]
Unfortunate today, you would have never thought that there will be such a result today. Was the Pakistani team overconfident? In the first hour of batting – were you facing some difficulty? Please explain that.
[Babar Azam:]
See, first I will talk about the batting. The first six overs, the ball was holding and was swinging. But the more partnerships we built, the better for us. When Sidharth and I started the partnership, we got momentum. I think when we lost the wickets back-to-back, that was the turning point. When you got momentum, you lost it because of losing wickets.
It was difficult in the beginning, but we covered it. But as a professional, you have to step up against such a performance or such a team in the batting, in the middle order. This is not an excuse that they played well. I think we played badly.
[Reporter:]
The way the tournament is going on and we’re seeing the results, it seems like the toss is very valuable. How much value do you give it? In day matches, whichever team is losing the toss, it almost seems like the results are not going in their favour too. So how are you rating the pitches?
[Babar Azam:]
Pitches? Today’s wicket, I think, for the first time – in the first six overs it was helpful for fast bowlers. But later on, I didn’t feel it was a different wicket. I was a little settled down. Because the early matches starting at 10:30, the fast bowlers will get a little help. There is a little juice in the early morning. So, they utilized that. They executed their plan.
Even in the second innings, I think we got help, but we were not up to the mark. We missed that in the first 10 overs. After that, we came back. But when you make a comeback in the last over, the momentum had already been taken away.
But as a bowling unit, we should defend the best bowlers. I think it was better on this pitch, according to our bowling.
[Reporter:]
What was your plan in the last two overs?
[Babar Azam:]
The plan was simple. We were just trying to bowl yorkers. We did not change the plan because the ball was reversing and our bowlers were very accurate with the yorkers. So, our plan was simple, not doing anything different, just go and use the yorkers.
“We couldn't capitalize the power play and after that we tried to build a partnership but we couldn't do well in the middle and late overs”
“To be honest, we weren't up to the mark as a bowling unit, we failed to take wickets, and in the middle overs spinners couldn't make any difference “
“We will try to come back, our campaign isn't over yet so we will try our best in the next games “
“It's very hard to lose to a side against the USA but all credits to them for playing good cricket in all three departments. “
“Yes, the pitch was two-faced and it was difficult to bat on but it's not an excuse”
[Reporter:]
It’s really shocking that you lost. Is it a surprise or – what’s your feeling now?
[Babar Azam:]
To be honest, I am feeling good. If you lose a match, you are always upset. I think we are not playing well, on both sides. Fielding, bowling, and batting. For 6 overs- I think we did not capitalize properly, but later on, after 10 overs we gained momentum, but again we lost too many wickets and then our momentum was gone. So yeah,
I think as a batting unit, we need to step up in the middle overs and in the end. So yeah.
[Reporter:]
What was the direction from you to the bowler when the bowler delivered the super over?
[Babar Azam:]
He is an experienced bowler. He knows how to bowl and we were just trying to field the ball accordingly, but I think the US batsman was a bit smarter when the ball was coming to the keeper, he was running. So, I think that thing was a plus point for that batsman in the Super Over.
[Reporter:]
Do you think that it’s an upset or they played extraordinarily and they beat you in all sections?
[Babar Azam:]
Yes, I am upset. We are not playing well in all three departments. We are better than that in bowling, we are not taking wickets in the first six overs. In the middle overs, our spinner is not taking wickets then the pressure is on us. And after 10 overs, we will come back. But I think the way they finished the game in the super overs, I think credit goes to the US team.
[Reporter:]
You played the semi-final in 2021, you even played the finals in 2022 – you have good performances against the big teams. But against these small teams - Pakistan has been losing a lot of games, even Bilateral, even in the World Cup. So, you don’t prepare like that or the batsmen take it lightly, bowlers take it lightly. There must be some reason for you to lose against the associates.
[Babar Azam:]
See, whenever you come in any tournament, you always do the best preparation. You can say it’s a kind of mindset. When you come up against a team like this, you relax a little. You take things a little lightly. See, if you don’t execute your plan against any team, then whatever team it is, they will beat you. So, I believe that we are not up to the mark in executing. We are doing well in preparation but in the match, we are not executing our plans as a team.
[Reporter:]
It’s obviously very hot today. How hard was it out there with you not having those preparation games because of the weather here in Dallas last week?
[Babar Azam:]
No, the weather is not a disturbance. We are used to it, as professionals, you see, sometimes you see the clouds, sometimes you see the sun out, but as a professional, you need to understand the weather. But yeah, Both teams were playing in the same weather, so I don’t think so.
[Reporter:]
Unfortunate today, you would have never thought that there will be such a result today. Was the Pakistani team overconfident? In the first hour of batting – were you facing some difficulty? Please explain that.
[Babar Azam:]
See, first I will talk about the batting. The first six overs, the ball was holding and was swinging. But the more partnerships we built, the better for us. When Sidharth and I started the partnership, we got momentum. I think when we lost the wickets back-to-back, that was the turning point. When you got momentum, you lost it because of losing wickets.
It was difficult in the beginning, but we covered it. But as a professional, you have to step up against such a performance or such a team in the batting, in the middle order. This is not an excuse that they played well. I think we played badly.
[Reporter:]
The way the tournament is going on and we’re seeing the results, it seems like the toss is very valuable. How much value do you give it? In day matches, whichever team is losing the toss, it almost seems like the results are not going in their favour too. So how are you rating the pitches?
[Babar Azam:]
Pitches? Today’s wicket, I think, for the first time – in the first six overs it was helpful for fast bowlers. But later on, I didn’t feel it was a different wicket. I was a little settled down. Because the early matches starting at 10:30, the fast bowlers will get a little help. There is a little juice in the early morning. So, they utilized that. They executed their plan.
Even in the second innings, I think we got help, but we were not up to the mark. We missed that in the first 10 overs. After that, we came back. But when you make a comeback in the last over, the momentum had already been taken away.
But as a bowling unit, we should defend the best bowlers. I think it was better on this pitch, according to our bowling.
[Reporter:]
What was your plan in the last two overs?
[Babar Azam:]
The plan was simple. We were just trying to bowl yorkers. We did not change the plan because the ball was reversing and our bowlers were very accurate with the yorkers. So, our plan was simple, not doing anything different, just go and use the yorkers.
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