Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], October 19 (ANI): Pakistan pacer Hasan Ali admitted that the team didn’t play as per their calibre and that their defeat against arch-rival India was not the end of the world.
India maintained their flawless record against the Men in Green in the ODI World Cup last Saturday in Ahmedabad. The Men in Blue marched to a comfortable 7-wicket victory ending Pakistan’s unbeaten run in the World Cup.
As Pakistan continue to gear up to bounce back from the defeat and return to winning ways, Hasan reflected back on their performance against India and asserted that they have taken necessary measures to rectify their mistakes.
“Yes, we agree that we didn’t play to our calibre, it’s not that we don’t agree. We have made mistakes, but it’s not the end of the world. I will say this and you might have heard this word many times – Nothing has changed. We lost and we were in pain. We were a better team and we couldn’t perform like that. We sat together with the team and had a healthy discussion. We discussed the things that need improvement. We tried to improve in the nets,” Hasan said in the pre-match press conference ahead of Australia clash.
“We know where we have to improve and where we made mistakes. India – Pakistan match is such that it can make or break your career. This is the reality. Maybe if that was a match against some other team you wouldn’t be asking us this or if we had won you wouldn’t be asking this – so that is our mistake but we are looking forward and the team is very confident,” he added.
With Pakistan aiming to claim two points, Australia could prove to be a major roadblock for them. With the likes of David Warner, Mitchell Marsh and Steve Smith forming a lethal batting unit, Hasan addressed the challenge that lies ahead of them.
“Yes, their batting line up is very strong but we also have experience and good bowlers and we will try our best whatever the situation – obviously this is a World Cup and everyone is here to win and perform. I think whichever team performs well on the day will win,” Hasan said.
Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Sean Abbott, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc.
Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim. (ANI)
