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‘Will Play For Pakistan,’ Babar Azam After Heartbreaking Loss To South Africa

image-lo8x7uhmBabar Azam walks back to the pavilion at the 2023 World Cup (x.com)

Pakistan pushed a rampaging South African unit till the very edge before the latter pulled off a remarkable one-wicket heist in their thrilling World Cup 2023 standoff in Chennai.

Defending 271 in a must-win game, Pakistan bowlers Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf and Usama Mir claimed crucial late wickets to reduce South Africa from 235-5 to 260-9. However, the final Proteas pair Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi survived some tense moments in the middle to conjure an 11-run unbeaten partnership to take their side past the finishing line with 16 balls to spare.

Regardless of the narrow margin, Pakistan’s defeat has dented their World Cup 2023 dreams as even convincing wins in their remaining three matches cannot confirm a place in the semi-finals. Captain Babar Azam, seemingly aware of the situation, recently said that the team will now play for pride going ahead into the competition.

Babar Azam defends umpire call that went against them

After the match, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam lamented his side’s defeat in their must-win World Cup 2023 match, however, he praised his bowlers for staging a remarkable fightback in the game. During the post-match presentation, he said:

“We were very close but disappointed not to finish on the winning side. We fought back very well. In the batting we were 10-15 runs short. But the way we bowled was good. The spinners and the pacers were brilliant. We showed great fight and took the game to the last over. If we had won this game, we would have kept ourselves alive in the competition.”

Babar Azam also defended the umpire call that went against them towards the closing stages of the contest. The incident occurred during the 46th over of the South African innings when Haris Rauf unsuccessfully appealed for an LBW against Tabraiz Shamsi.

As one can expect, the ‘Men in Green’ skipper went for a review where television replays indicated that the ball was clipping the leg stump. The decision eventually favoured umpire’s call with South Africa making the most of their reprieve. Stating his opinion over the close call, Babar said:

“To be honest, it's part of the game. If the umpire had given OUT, it would have favored us. It's Umpire's Call on the DRS and we have to take it.”

The batting veteran also added that since Pakistan’s World Cup 2023 chances are pretty much dashed at this point, the players will now try their best in their remaining fixtures to play for pride and for their country.

“We will try our best in the next three matches. We will look to be at our best and play for Pakistan.”

Pakistan will now face Bangladesh on October 31 for their subsequent World Cup 2023 challenge. The virtual dead-rubber will be played out at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata.