MATCH STORIES
Follow UsThere is always a twist in an India-Pakistan clash, especially when Pakistan are in the driver's seat.
But with Pakistan 72/2 in the 12th over chasing 120, needing 48 more off 48 balls with two key batters looking well settled, the clash between the two arch-rivals at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York looked dead and buried.
And then the unthinkable happened.
Well, when Pakistan are playing a cricket match, nothing that happens is ever ‘unthinkable’. But such was the nature of the choke that the Men in Green pulled off that this was unfathomable even by their standards.
48 runs needed in 48 balls with eight full wickets in hand. From this point, Babar Azam’s Men went on to score just 41 more runs to slip to one of the most embarrassing defeats in their history, format notwithstanding.
For decades, we’ve been hearing the ‘Only Pakistan could have done this’ phrase. It’s a phrase that’s been overused and overemployed, but, really, only Pakistan could have done this.
Only Pakistan could have handed a game that was served to them on a platter, right back to their arch-rivals.
Only Pakistan could have failed to chase down 120 after coasting at 72/2.
Only Pakistan could have needed run-a-ball at one point and then bring it down to 12 needed off 2 balls before ultimately falling short in the chase.
When you score 41/5 off 8 overs to bottle a game that was firmly in the bag, there can’t just be one turning point. This Pakistan bottlejob had multiple moments that played a key part in them inexplicably failing to get over the line.
The first was the dismissal of Fakhar Zaman. The Men in Green were coasting when Fakhar and Mohammad Rizwan were at the crease, and the left-hander, who’d raced to 13 off his first 7 balls, was looking in sublime touch.
This was when Fakhar threw his wicket away by dancing down the wicket in an attempt to hoick Hardik Pandya. The back-of-a-length delivery bowled by Pandya generated extra bounce and that was enough to get the glove of the left-hander.
The second pivotal moment was the brainfade Rizwan endured on the first ball of the 15th over, when the chase was still under control: Pakistan needed 40 off 36 balls. Rohit Sharma brought Jasprit Bumrah back into the attack and all Rizwan needed to do was see off India’s biggest threat.
Instead, Rizwan, in a decision that was beyond perplexing, went for a cross-batted slog on the first ball of Bumrah’s third over and got his stumps rattled.
Up until this point, India looked like a team that did not believe. Now they believed. Now they had their tails up. Now Pakistan started to get flashbacks.
The third and the final turning point was the 16th over bowled by Axar Patel. 37 needed off 30 balls, Pakistan were under pressure but they were still marginal favorites. India did not have the game under their control fully. But they did after Axar’s third over, which went for two runs.
This was an over that had a comical undertone to it. One of those ‘you have to see it to believe it’ overs. Axar kept bowling the same ball over and over again: a slider from ‘round the wicket that went across the left-hander. And Imad Wasim played three identical dots attempting the exact same cut shot.
37 off 30 balls became 35 off 24 balls, and, from this point, Pakistan did not stand a chance. Not on this surface. Not with Bumrah having one more over up his sleeve.
The USA defeat was bad but upsets happen. They are a part and parcel of sport. But an all-time choke like this? Well good luck recovering from this abomination.
This is the kind of defeat that will scar generations. This, if we’re being honest, is a defeat that’s completely made the victory in the 2021 T20WC — that was supposed to be a ‘new dawn’ in this rivalry — irrelevant.
Where does Pakistan cricket go from here?
