Pakistan lost to India because of pitch disadvantage: Aqib Javed

WEB DESK: Pakistan cricket team coach Aqib Javed while addressing a press conference following a rueful performance of the team in the two matches in ICC Champions Trophy has said that the playing-11 were the right ones chosen for the squad, and the reason Pakistan lost to India was because the latter had a pitch advantage. The head coach, however, was quick to add that the team must improve in the home ground because it lose to New Zealand in Karachi.

Aqib Javed said that Pakistan-India match is more than just cricket, and experience is crucial for India-Pakistan clashes: “India had a more experienced squad, and we lost due to a lack of experienced players against India. If Pakistan had given a target of 280 to 300 runs, we may have stood a chance.”

Defending the squad selection, he said that as a selector, he had to pick those performing well, and that the entire team faced defeat as opposed to just one player.

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“If Saim Ayub and Fakhar Zaman are unavailable, we go with other options, and Khushdil was brought because Saim Ayub was unfit, and he has performed well over the past one and a half years. I do admit some players are crucial for matches,” he agreed.

“You can’t play ODI cricket with just five bowlers. The ideal ODI combination is seven batters and four bowlers, and Saim Ayub contributed with both,” he said.

Javed also said that this was the same team that played in Australia and South Africa, and that Tayyab Tahir batted well against Zimbabwe and South Africa. He clarified that Sufiyan Muqeem had only played one match against South Africa and Abrar was rested to give Sufiyan a chance.

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“Some people were claiming that we would have won if Sufiyan played, but he has only played one match. This was our best possible squad, and Saud’s inclusion was necessary for these condition, Javed insisted adding that every player in this squad had performed at some stage, including Kamran Ghulam against South Africa.

Hitting back at the critics, Javed said that criticism often comes from those not playing or managing.

“Shaheen, Naseem, and Haris remain our best fast-bowling options, and I ask today that beyond Babar Azam, what other options do we have. Whenever a team loses, calls for changes are raised. Even collectively, our team hasn’t played 400 matches—some have 15, others 24. Naseem had played 25 ODIs, while Haris has played 43 ODIs,” Javed pointed out.

Finally addressing the elephant in the room, the coach admitted that the performance has dipped since the tri-series.

“If Saim or Fakhar are unavailable, we look to Babar Azam or Muhammad Rizwan. Players need to improve their game,” he acknowledged adding that winning matches requires improvement in all departments.