Follow UsAt 155/2, with Pakistan skipper Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan at the crease, Pakistan were well-placed to challenge the Indian side. It looked like the rivalry finally found a page of interesting battle in the historically one-sided domination. But then, as Nasser Hussain said, “A collapse on Pakistan could manufacture” as they collapsed to 191 all out.
On a surface such as Ahmedabad, it was never going to be enough in any lifetime. Pakistan’s Director of Cricket, Mickey Arthur, addressed the collapse, stating that they were a bit ‘timid’ with their overall performance.
From 155/2 to 191 all out, a forgettable day for Pakistan at Ahmedabad 😲#INDvPAK #INDvsPAK #CWC23 pic.twitter.com/LSMcgD8dgG
— Cricket.com (@weRcricket) October 14, 2023
“Yeah, I just think we were a little bit timid tonight with our overall performance. I would have liked us to really take the game on just a little bit more. It's a massive occasion, as we know, but I think we just went into our shells just a little bit. And to go from 155 for two, if it was, to 190-odd all out is just not on,” Arthur said in the post-match press conference.
“Yeah, credit to India, I thought they bowled really well, but I just thought our performance was just a little bit timid,” he stressed.
While not overly criticizing any personnel, Arthur was quick to point out that the middle-order could have been more aggressive and proactive against the Indian spinners, something that he believes cost them the clash.
“I did think we could probably have taken on the Indian spinners just a little bit more. It was a wicket that didn't turn massively, and I thought we needed to put some pressure back. But again, they were building and building nicely,” Arthur said.
“I think we've got to realize that there are two ways to always skin a cat. And we've had success by taking it deep and then cashing in at the back end. That's been our style, that's been our brand, but we didn't play the Pakistan Way tonight, and that was the disappointing aspect of it for me.”
While it remained a mystery on the pitch, Arthur revealed his side were targeting a total of 330 when they were batting first. But the inability to motor on from a favourable position, and eventually crashing to a humbling 191 wasn’t part of the method.
“Oh, look, we set ourselves up as a 330 team. That's our message, that's where we set ourselves up. We've got the personnel to build and build and build and make sure that we keep that momentum going through the innings so that we can cash in at the back end. That's been our method,” he added.
With India being the host team, every World Cup fixture in the country that involves Rohit Sharma and co is likely to be a home fixture. It wasn’t any different here in Ahmedabad when the one-sided crowd support played a massive role in the outcome of the game. While not particularly complaining, Arthur reckoned that the fixture between India and Pakistan looked like a BCCI event and not an ICC event.
“Look, I'd be lying if I said it did. It didn't seem like an ICC event to be brutally honest. It seemed like a bilateral series; it seemed like a BCCI event. I didn't hear Dil Dil Pakistan coming through the microphones too often tonight,” Arthur questioned.
“So yes, that does play a role, but I'm not going to use that as an excuse because for us it was about living the moment, it was about the next ball and it was about how we were going to combat the Indian, the Indian players tonight.”