Pakistan spinner Usman Tariq said his team is focused on learning from their disappointing loss to India in the ongoing T20 World Cup and is determined to improve ahead of the upcoming do-or-die contest against Namibia.
Pakistan are in a must-win situation after losing to India. If Men in Green lose their match against Namibia, they will be eliminated from the tournament, and the USA, currently second, will qualify for the Super Eight stage due to a higher Net Run Rate.
During the pre-match press conference, the Pakistan spinner was asked how challenging it would be for the coaching staff to lift the team’s morale after the defeat to India. In response, Tariq stressed the importance of identifying and addressing errors.
“It only becomes difficult when you don’t pinpoint your mistakes and work on them. We just had a conversation about the areas where we had lapses. We’ll work on those mistakes and look forward to the next matches so that we don’t repeat the same mistakes. That will definitely help in getting better results,” he said.
Addressing questions regarding senior bowlers Shaheen Afridi and Shadab Khan facing criticism, Tariq said the focus was on executing plans rather than getting overwhelmed by expectations.
“I’d like to say one thing about pressure. Playing against India is always high intensity, so whatever pressure is there is normal–it’s something every human being feels. The important thing is how you overcome it, and we prepared for that. So there wasn’t any special pressure. We were just trying to execute our plans. Performances depend on the day. If the bowling unit missed their lines, we’ll focus on those things and work to improve in the next match,” he said.
Responding to queries about Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav practising with a similar action, Usman said these are normal preparations every team does.
“There was a time when teams practised against tall bowlers by standing on stools to simulate Mohammad Irfan. It’s a team game. If I’m controlling the runs from one end, the other bowler can take wickets from the other end. That helps the team. So the focus is always on contributing to the team effort.”
Namibia have been eliminated from the ongoing tournament after they lost their three consecutive Group A matches.
Defending champions India have qualified for the next round from Group A. They are the top team in their Group with three consecutive victories.
