Mohammad Nawaz wanted to be a “all-rounder” after his lightning strike sealed Pakistan’s thrilling victory over arch-rival India in the Asian Super Cup. Chase won 182, Pakistan hit the target with a ball and five sticks to spare in Dubai after Mohammad Rizwan hit 71 and Nawaz made 42. Nawaz, a left-handed spinner who usually hits ball at the age of eight but was promoted to number four, joining Rizwan when the score was 63-2 and the two were in a vital position.
Nawaz, 28, beat six four and two six of his 20 shots to get the chase on track.
Nawaz, who returned bowling’s 1-25 in India’s 181-7 match, also had three catches and was named man of the match.
Nawaz told reporters after Sunday’s win at the regional T20 tournament that served as a warm-up for the World Cup in October: “Playing such a half in a high-pressure match definitely brings give me confidence back.
“I have the opportunity to grow as a player and I will do my best to meet the growing expectations.
“I will work hard and try to perform better as an all-rounder for the Pakistan team.”
Nawaz fell in the 16th minute and soon after that Rizwan had to go after his half-century in a row.
Khushdil Shah (undefeated 14) and Asif Aliwho made 16 shots from eight balls, overcame Pakistan in a tense final as they avenged their loss to India earlier in the tournament.
“We wanted to go as deep as we could because of the type of players we had at Khushdil and Asif, even if we needed 10-12 runs each time, they could easily get there,” Rizwan said.
Of India Virat kohliwho returned to form with 60 of 44 balls to keep India’s innings together until he was exhausted in the final set, said Nawaz’s strike made the difference.
Kohli told reporters: “They had the opportunity to promote him and extend his batting stay and if the situation got tough, they would leave (recognized) burnisher.
“So the way he beat that was a game-changing moment, the way I read the game.”
Promote
The top two teams in the Super Four group including Afghanistan and Sri Lanka will participate in the Asian Cup finals on September 11.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is automatically generated from the syndication feed.)
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