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Naseem Shah devastated, feared for dad's health after Pakistan's T20 WC loss to India: 'Couldn't put up with it anymore'

Aug 20, 2024 01:06 PM IST

Naseem Shah opened up on the emotions after loss against India and said many things flashed in front of him after the defeat.

Young Pakistan paceman Naseem Shah poured his heart out on his team's close defeat against India in the group stage of the T20 World Cup 2024. Pakistan had a forgettable campaign in the USA as they failed to qualify for the Super 8 stage after suffering defeats to arch-rivals India and a non-Test playing team USA. Babar Azam and Co. didn't even get the opportunity to travel to the Caribbean as they were knocked out in the group stage itself.

Indian players shook hands with Pakistan's Naseem Shah (R) after India beat Pakistan during the ICC men's Twenty20 World Cup 2024 group A cricket match.(AFP)
Indian players shook hands with Pakistan's Naseem Shah (R) after India beat Pakistan during the ICC men's Twenty20 World Cup 2024 group A cricket match.(AFP)

They did have a chance to get the better of India for the second time in World Cup history but their batting line-up collapsed miserably under pressure against a quality Indian bowling attack. The Pakistan bowlers pulled up a collective effort to bundle out India for 119 in 19 overs and took an upper hand in the game. They dominated the match for almost 34 overs, but then came Jasprit Bumrah's over, where he dismissed a well-set Mohammad Rizwan and completely shifted the momentum in India's favour.

Meanwhile, Naseem put up a fightback in the final overs, with Pakistan needing 16 runs off the last three balls and he connected a couple of boundaries. He also stood out from the Pakistan bowling line-up with the figures of 3/21.

Naseem opened up on the emotions after that match and said many things flashed in front of him after the defeat.

"There are a lot of emotions attached with such matches. I did not expect [the result to turn out how it did]. There are some things that you keep to yourself. A lot had pent-up and a lot of things flashed in front of me at that point... There have been very few moments in life when I have felt the need to have someone who can talk positively to me," Naseem said on Cricbuzz.

Also Read | How Virat Kohli instilled confidence in under-fire Yash Dayal after a forgettable season: 'Biggest thing he said to me…’

‘My father gets distressed when we lose’: Naseem Shah

Naseem talked about his personal life and said that the fans are not aware of what is going on behind the scenes.

"There is a lot going on in a cricketer's life behind the scenes about which people are not aware," Shah said.

The young pace sensation revealed that his father is also fighting some health battles and how he fears about his health when a result doesn't go in Pakistan's favour in a big match.

"At times, all you are searching for are small moments of happiness. My father is going through some health issues. There was a time when he did not know anything about cricket, but now he watches every ball and gets distressed when we lose. So, before every big game, I ring my brothers to make sure that our father doesn't watch it. I fear that it may lead to some bigger health complications. It [the pressure] is like I am playing two matches at once," he said.

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