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Pakistan pace sensation Naseem Shah expressed his dissapointment about the defending champions' flimsy start in the Champions Trophy and emphasised the need to fix their mistakes before heading to Dubai for the blockbuster clash against arch-rival India on Sunday.
The Men in Green had to wait nearly three decades for a global tournament to return to Pakistan. But New Zealand spoiled the party for the co-hosts by handing them an imposing 60-run defeat in the tournament opener in Karachi. In a short tournament, where each team plays three group-stage matches, a defeat in the opener has jeopardised their chances of punching their way to the semi-finals. In the context of the semi-finals, the 60-run defeat has made Pakistan's high-stakes affair with India much more significant than it did before the tournament kicked off. Naseem admitted that Pakistan needs to rectify its past mistakes before taking on the ultimate challenge in Dubai on Sunday. "When you don't start well, it's natural to feel disappointed. There are quite a few things we need to fix before the next important match. We have to correct our mistakes and focus on the next game," Naseem told reporters as quoted from Geo News. The final 10 overs of the first inning was de ja vu for Pakistan, with Glenn Phillips being the root cause behind their desolation. With his quick-fire 61, Phillips illuminated Karachi's sky with his fireworks as Pakistan spilt 113 runs in the last 60 balls. Naseem admitted that the climax of the first inning didn't go as they had planned and said, "The last six to eight overs didn't go the way we wanted them to. We need to look at how we can improve in those areas in the next matches." With Karachi's dry strip staying true to its nature and offering a heavenly surface to the batters, the task of bowlers to keep a lid on the scoring rate becomes much more challenging. "On pitches like these, bowlers don't get much help. Big scores are very much likely here," Naseem said. (ANI)
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