Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi on Tuesday issued a Shaheen forget defeat call, urging his team to forget the eight-wicket defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka and focus on the ODI tri-series final against the same side on Saturday.
The hosts, who had already booked their spot in the final on the back of their one-wicket victory over England on Sunday, entered their last league-stage fixture with high spirits as they were on a three-match winning streak.
Put into bat first in the recently concluded fixture at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, Pakistan’s batting unit faltered and was bundled out for a modest 110 in 25.3 overs, registering their second-lowest ODI total at the venue, only behind their 75 all out, which coincidentally also came against Sri Lanka in 2009.
How the defeat happened
Babar Azam remained the top scorer for Pakistan with a cautious 33-ball 29, followed by Hasan Nawaz, who made 17 off 31 balls. Besides them, only captain Shaheen (15) and emerging all-rounder Arafat Minhas (10) could reach double figures.
In turn, Sri Lanka made light work of the 111-run target as they chased it down for the loss of just two wickets and 191 balls to spare, handing the host nation their first defeat in the ODI tri-series and booking their place in the final. Their triumph also ended England’s hopes of qualifying for the summit clash.
Left-handed opener Kamindu Mendis spearheaded Sri Lanka’s pursuit with an unbeaten half-century and returned after top-scoring with a 60-ball 62, studded with eight fours and two sixes.
Shaheen forget defeat: what he said after the match
Reflecting on his team’s first defeat in the ongoing home assignment, Shaheen rued their top order’s struggles since the start of the ODI tri-series and stressed that the rare failure from the middle order in the recent fixture added to their batting woes.
Shaheen, however, insisted that the team should move forward from the defeat and vowed to address their batting struggles ahead of the final.
“Unfortunately, for the last three or four games we are collapsing in the top order. We’ve had three wins and lost today,” said Shaheen at the post-match presentation.
“We should forget that and move forward. We have three days now, and we can practice,” he added.
The skipper then expressed confidence in his team to bat stronger in the final against Sri Lanka, reiterating the need to forget the defeat and instead take positives from the previous fixtures.
“We will come back in the final and bat stronger. We need to forget this game quickly and take the positives from the previous games.”
Why the final is a different test
The final will not be a repeat of Tuesday in one important respect: Pakistan have already shown they can win tight games in this series. The one-wicket win over England on Sunday, chasing 242, proved the side can hold its nerve when the target is large and the pressure is high.
Tuesday showed the other side of the same team. When the top order fell early, no partnership formed, and the middle order could not repair the damage. Sri Lanka, by contrast, batted with control and finished the chase with more than half the overs unused.
Three days of practice now separate the two matches. Shaheen’s message is that the team should use that time to fix the top order, rather than carry the 110 all out into the final.
Frequently asked questions
What did Shaheen say after the defeat by Sri Lanka?
He said Pakistan should forget the defeat and move forward, adding: “We will come back in the final and bat stronger. We need to forget this game quickly and take the positives from the previous games.”
When is the tri-series final?
The final against Sri Lanka is scheduled for Saturday at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, with Pakistan and Sri Lanka as the two finalists after England were eliminated.
What was Pakistan’s score against Sri Lanka?
Pakistan were bowled out for 110 in 25.3 overs. Babar Azam top scored with 29 off 33 balls, and Sri Lanka chased 111 for the loss of two wickets.
Why does Shaheen point to the top order?
He said Pakistan have been collapsing in the top order for the last three or four games, and the rare middle-order failure on Tuesday added to the batting woes.
