TimesofIndia.com in Dubai: Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif has launched a scathing attack on Salman Ali Agha’s team’s “timid” approach as they suffered another defeat against an unstoppable-looking India.“This match wasn’t enjoyable,” Latif told TimesofIndia.com after Pakistan’s six-wicket loss in the Super Four clash against India.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“Pakistan were batting so well, how did it suddenly turn bad? You didn’t even try to be aggressive. They gave up. Why didn’t they try to attack in the middle overs, I don’t know,” said Latif, while pointing out the middle-over phase, where Pakistan failed to hit a single boundary for 37 balls.Pakistan were in the driving seat once Saim Ayub got out. Hussain Talat, who was promoted at No. 4, forged a run-a-ball 17-run stand with Sahibzada Farhan, which Rashid felt derailed Pakistan’s momentum.
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“Sahibzada Farhan and Hussain Talat had a 17-run partnership in 17 balls. Farhan scored 5 off 6 deliveries, and Talat made 10 off 11. At that point, Pakistan was in control.“You should have gone for your shots, even if you got out. Instead, you got out after wasting time,” said Rashid.
Latif, who has played 37 Tests and 166 ODIs for Pakistan, also lamented all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz, who looked all at sea during his 19-ball 21 knock.“Then Mohammad Nawaz came, and he too played slowly, never tried to accelerate the scoring rate. That’s why I don’t trust their batting or bowling,” he said.The way this Asia Cup has gone so far, it is a battle to see who takes on India in the final. Such has been India’s dominance that they are almost guaranteed a spot in the summit clash.“We are yet to play a perfect game, but we are getting there. A great game, but in the powerplay they took the game away from us,” Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha said in the post-match presentation.“Looking back, with the position we were in after 10 overs, we could have got 10-15 more. 170-180 is a good total, but in the powerplay they batted well, that was the difference.“If you see the bowlers are going for runs, you need to change it, that’s how it goes in T20s. There’s a lot of positives — the way Fakhar batted, Farhan batted and Harry bowled. Looking forward to the next game against Sri Lanka.”India will lock horns with Bangladesh on Wednesday in Dubai, while Pakistan will travel to Abu Dhabi for their next Super Four clash against Sri Lanka.
