Former Pakistan women cricketer Urooj Mumtaz, in a video that was shared on social media earlier today by ESPNcricinfo, opened up about the Men in Green's loss against USA on Thursday during the T20 World Cup 2024.
The first question asked by the channel was whether Fakhar Zaman or Iftikhar Ahmed should have been on strike during the super over. In response, Pakistani cricket commentator said that Fakhar was the right choice as he’s the left-arm batter however, that wasn’t much of an issue.
“Yes, Fakhar should have been on the strike, as he’s a left-arm batter so the left-arm bowling would have lied under his angle. However, that wasn’t much of an issue, it could have been done by anyone,” said Urooj.
“A top team losing to an associate team, especially in such a manner, is a massive upset in my opinion.
“The shot selection was very poor by the Pakistan team and USA’s bowling was commendable as a result Pakistan’s score in the powerplay was not so good."
Additionally, the channel mentioned that dismissal of Monank Patel by Mohammad Amir brought Pakistan back in game. As a response, Urooj said that it was a very big wicket for Pakistan.
“We can say that because the way Patel was playing, he made 50 runs for his team, that was a huge wicket for Pakistan,” she said.
She also questioned Babar Azam's strike-rate.
“Babar Azam’s strike rate in today’s match, especially when he was dismissed was concerning. He wasn't able to play shots from the middle of the bat earlier in his innings since the USA bowled really well,” the commentator mentioned.
They also discussed that asking Nosthush Pradeep Kenjige to bowl was USA’s master stroke.
“A master-stroke or you can say an inspired selection, replacing a pacer with a left-armer bowler knowing that Pakistan is bad at dealing with spins, and the way he bagged three wickets, according to me that was the best decision taken by the USA,” Urooj said.
Urooj believed that Azam Khan is not supposed to be in the XI of the team. She said that Rizwan should continue wicket keeping and, after recovering, Imad Wasim should replace Azam in the lineup.
