Asia Cup: Shoaib Malik Admits Pakistan Had no Idea About Conditions in India Game
Pakistan all-rounder Shoaib Malik admitted that the team miscalculated the conditions at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium in the crucial clash against India in the Asia Cup.
Veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik conceded that Pakistan had "no idea" about the nature of the Sher-e-Bangla strip and they have learnt from their mistakes committed against arch-rivals India. (Asia Cup Twenty20: Virat Kohli, Bowlers Guide India to Victory Over Pakistan)
"Yes, it was tough to bat yesterday, but we had miscalculated somewhat, because we had no idea about the conditions. It was not a typical T20 wicket where you look at 170 or 180. It's especially tough if you are playing against a good batting side. Obviously, you learn from your mistakes, and that's why we are here to practice," Malik said after the optional training session.
Pakistan will play United Arab Emirates on Monday and Malik said that it's no less an important game than the India encounter which they lost by five wickets.
"In this tournament, every game is very crucial. Playing against India, it's a pressure game for both the teams. We made some mistakes, we did not know what the conditions here would be. Now we have played, now we know how to deal with it. It's going to be a good game against UAE," said the former captain.
Malik declared that Pakistan's pace attack is the best among the five teams in the tournament. (Asia Cup Twenty20: Virat Kohli Says he Relished Battle With Mohammad Amir)
"We know we have the best attack among all the teams. Batsmen have to take responsibility. Whoever gets in has to score 60-70, so your team ends up scoring 140-150, which the bowlers can defend. I am not thinking about run-rate. Our goal is to win our first game and then take it from there," he said.
Malik felt the two run-outs of Khurram Manzoor and Shahid Afridi also cost them dearly in the match against India.
"We should have scored at least 130. We had two run-outs. Otherwise one of them might have gone on to score 40-50. Of course, India's batting is better, but Pakistan's bowling is better than theirs. In these conditions, 130-plus is a great score, I think, unless the conditions change," Malik said.