Dubai [UAE], September 13 (ANI): Pakistan batter Mohammad Haris credited his captain Salman Agha, coaches and senior teammates for backing him during tough times after his match-winning performance against Oman in the Asia Cup Group A clash.
“Yeah, obviously, it is important for every player, and the way he supported me, not only the captain, but the coach and all the senior players, I want to thank them as well, because there are difficult times when you can’t perform, and it is very tough for a player to get out of that phase. A lot of criticisms happen, and I take that as a positive note. Thanks to the captain, coaches and the senior players who are in the team, thanks to them as well,” Haris said after the match.
The right-handed batter was the star for Pakistan, smashing a brilliant 66 off 43 balls with seven boundaries and three sixes. Riding on his innings, Pakistan posted 160/7, before bowling out Oman for just 67 in 16.4 overs to seal a massive 93-run victory.
The Men in Green delivered a clinical performance, with their bowlers playing a crucial role. Pakistan spinners in total grabbed six wickets combined while giving away just 40 runs in 11 overs.
While chasing a target of 161, Aamir Kaleem and Oman skipper Jatinder Singh came out to bat. Oman had the worst possible start, as after a tight first over from Shaheen Afridi, Saim Ayub removed Singh for a run on the first ball of the second over, and Hammad Mirza joined Kaleem on the crease.
Ayub, in his following over, removed Kaleem for 13 runs off 11 LBW plumb in Infront, and Mohammad Nadeem joined Mirza in the middle. Nadeem couldn’t do much as his struggle in the middle ended right after the power play when spinner Sufiyan Muqeem got the better of him for three runs off seven balls.
Sufyan Mehmood added a run to the total before Mohammad Nawaz removed him in the eighth over; Pakistan’s spinners were all over the Oman batters. Wicketkeeper/batter Vinayak Shukla joined Mirza in the middle.
Shukla in the following over was run out courtesy a brilliant throw from Shaheen Afridi, in the same over Mirza only Oman batter with some runs under his belt was removed by Muqeem for 27 runs off 23 balls.
After 10 overs, Oman were 49-6, with Ikria Islam 0 (6) and Shah Faisal 0 (1) unbeaten on the crease.
Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha brought seamer Faheem Ashraf into the action after the 10th over, and he struck on the third ball, removing Zikria Islam for a duck. Pakistan star seamer Afridi, in the following over, cleaned up Shah Faisal for one.
Ashraf, in his second over, cleaned up Hassnain Shah for one run on the very first ball. Pakistan bowlers displayed a fiery body language ahead of their high-voltage clash against India.
Haris was named the Player of the Match for his knock that set up Pakistan’s dominating win.
Pakistan will next clash with India on September 14 in Dubai.
Their final league stage match will be against the United Arab Emirates on September 17, following which things will move to the Super 4 stage.
Pakistan, before heading into this game, having exited the T20 World Cup in the group stages last year due to losses to India and the United States of America, has featured in 27 T20Is, winning 13 and losing 14. (ANI)
Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed of ANI; only the image & headline may have been reworked by News Services Division of World News Network Inc Ltd and Palghar News and Pune News and World News
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