Honest Admission of Babar Azam As Pakistan Stun Afghanistan In Cricket World Cup 2023
The captain of Pakistan cricket team Babar Azam is visibly shaken, as he admitted "we are hurt" after his team was stunned in an eight-wicket defeat by Afghanistan at the World Cup on Monday, which put their semi-finals hopes in peril. Afghanistan achieved their first-ever victory in one day over Pakistan in eight attempts as they chased down a 283-run target with an over to spare. Ibrahim Zadran hit a brilliant 113-ball 87, while fellow opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz made a 53-ball 65 to build a strong platform, putting on 130 for the first wicket.
The unbeaten score of 84-ball 77 of Rahmat Shah's and Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi's 48 not out sealed victory against a sloppy Pakistan team.
Azam, whose side now has three defeats and two wins in five matches, said, “We are hurt as a team.”
They face a formidable South Africa at the same Chennai venue on Friday.
Azam, whose 74 off 95 balls aided by opener Abdullah Shafique's 58 guided Pakistan to 282-7 after they won the toss and batted, said, "We must feel the disappointment, and my message to my team for the remaining matches will be to learn from this defeat."