Follow UsPakistan are in under serious pressure after losing their first game of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup against the United States of America, who are much below the Men in Green in T20I rankings.
Imad Wasim, their ace spinner who bowls in multiple phases of the game, missed that game due to a suspected rib injury. However, much to the delight of Pakistani fans, coach Gary Kirsten informed that Wasim “is fit to play tomorrow” against India in New York during the pre-match press conference.
Last time, Pakistan lost against Zimbabwe in the group stages of the 2022 T20I World Cup but made an excellent comeback to reach the final. In fact, the Pakistan cricket team has a history of such comebacks in ICC tournaments, with their fabled victory in the 1992 World Cup coming on the back of one such spectacular comeback.
However, when asked about this and if Pakistan can repeat history, Kirsten clearly said he “doesn’t want to harp on history too much.”
“We need to make sure we play the best cricket we can now,” Kirsten said.
“So tomorrow, we're going to go out there and make sure we do the best we can with our skill sets and how we can pressure the opposition. I mean, that's what we want to do in every game. That's certainly how we would plan for every game.
So, it's really up to us to get ourselves up for the game. It's a big game, India-Pakistan, we know there's no need for me to motivate the team anymore. They're well motivated, and they're focused on this game. We've had to forget about the last few days and move forward.
That's the only way you can deal with life. Results are results. They take care of themselves. But the way we arrive at a match and pitch up and give it our best shot and ensure that our skills are up to where they need to be, that's all we can control.”
Strong reactions came from all corners after the USA’s historic victory against the side coached by Kirsten. Fans and former Pakistani cricketers took to social media, and the language used to criticise the green shirts has been anything but kind.
In that light, players' well-being is a major concern, and that’s where experienced coaches like Kirsten know how to step in and get the team back on its feet.
“It's never nice not winning games of cricket for any player,” the Pakistan coach said.
“They're trying their best. It's never nice. I don't think I needed to motivate this team for this game. I think the important thing for us is that we operate genuinely as a team. Yes, we need individuals to perform well, but playing games like this, I think, is a real team effort.
It's a big game, so we're going to treat it as any other game. But certainly, give it our best shot. The team's motivated. I mean, if that's what you're questioning, two days ago is forgotten. We can't take it back. It's gone. So, we move on.”
Meanwhile, as far as the pressure of playing such a big game and the sense of occasion is concerned, it was all too palpable even for someone generally stoic like Kirsten to not be excited.
“I certainly see it as a massive privilege to be part of these [India - Pakistan] games.
I've had, I think, two of them. So, it's great to be involved in this. Cricket doesn't get bigger than this. So, it's fun to be a part of. I think it's going to be a great occasion tomorrow. First kind of India-Pakistan game in America. It's been great being here in America on tour. I think it's one of the privileges of being involved in cricket for all of us, is that we get to travel the world in the name of cricket and see different places. So that'll be fun and a great occasion.
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