Pakistan captain Babar Azam said losing the final of the Twenty20 World Cup 2022 to England was a missed opportunity to recreate history.
Babar Azam's men took on the English side Sunday at Melbourne Cricket Ground, with similarities of their 50-over World Cup win in 1992 echoing in the background.
Thirty years ago, Imran Khan-led Pakistan faced England in the grand finale of the ODI World Cup at the same venue, and had finished victorious.
This time however, Babar and Co could hardly put up competition in the tournament decider in front of some 80,000 spectators in the stands on a weekend at the historic venue.
Asked to bat first, Pakistan managed only 137 runs for the loss of eight wickets in 20 overs on the back of fall of consecutive wickets in the mid-innings, and as many as 48 dot balls.
Defending the small total, Pakistan had grabbed a bit of control during the England chase.
The table turned drastically though after Pakistan lost pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi to a knee injury in business end of the game when England needed 41 off 30 balls.
“Of course, it is disappointing. It is always disappointing to lose a final game. I think we were short by 20 runs, for which we could not defend. But the bowlers did show the effort and in the middle overs we had them under control. Shaheen's injury has cost us at a crucial moment of the game. The result could have been different, but then, it is part of the game,” said a dejected Babar to the media.
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“There was no pressure to be honest [when invited to take first guard]. The condition was a bit different here, the ball was getting to swing early on. We were trying to put 45 to 50 runs on the board in the first six overs, but loss of wickets had put us back. We were at around 90 (84) in first 11 overs, but we could not hold the momentum in the middle overs for fall of quick wickets. We could not execute our plan. Shadab [Khan] and Shan [Masood] had pulled up a partnership, but it become difficult once they got out,” he added.
Pakistan started the competition with two consecutive defeats, against India by four wickets and to Zimbabwe by just one run.
With their backs against the wall, Pakistan first defeated the Netherlands by six wickets.
They gained more momentum after securing a 33-run win against South Africa by Duckworth/Lewis method.
The Dutch then defeated the Proteas and Pakistan grabbed the golden opportunity and confirmed a berth in the semis, defeating Bangladesh by five wickets in a do-or-die game at the Adelaide Oval.
Babar's form remained a worry for Pakistan throughout the tournament.
The opener had garnered just 39 runs in five group matches, and finished with 124 including the semi and final.
“This campaign has been stressful, especially last one week, because the situation was in and out for us. We tried to grab the opportunities that came along the way. The team should be credited for the effort they have shown in the end part of the tournament. They tried to play their best cricket and it does hurt when you cannot finish on top after reaching the final of such a big tournament,” said Babar.