With Pakistan crashing to a defeat against India in their T20 World Cup 2022 opener, the Babar Azam-led side will be aiming to bounce back to winning ways vs Zimbabwe in their upcoming Super 12 stage fixture, on Thursday. Team India defeated Pakistan by four wickets in Melbourne, with Virat Kohli hammering an unbeaten knock of 82 runs off 53 balls. Iftikhar Ahmed, who was one of the better performers for Pakistan on Sunday, feels that his side are still hurting from their defeat.
Speaking to AFP, Iftikhar said, "The hurt remains after losing such a big match. We were heartbroken".
Praising his captain, he continued, "The way Babar and the management supported the players, it was good. Babar and coaches told us that 'it was not our last game, everybody put in the effort".
"So our morale is high".
Chasing a target of 160 runs, India raced to 160 for six in 20 overs, Other than Kohli, Hardik Pandya also played a crucial knock of 40 runs off 37 balls. Initially, Pakistan posted 159 for eight in 20 overs, with Shan Masood slamming an unbeaten knock of 52 runs off 42 deliveries. Meanwhile, Iftikhar made a crucial contribution of 51 runs off 34 balls. Hardik and Arshdeep Singh were in brilliant bowling form, taking three-wicket hauls respectively.
After the defeat to India, captain Babar said, "Our bowlers bowled really well. All credit to Kohli and Pandya. It wasn't easy with the new ball. We had partnerships after 10 overs. We had a chance. We tried to stick to our plans. But credit to Virat Kohli. In the middle we decided we wanted a wicket and held the spinner back. We had a lot of positives. The way Iftikhar played and the way Shan played."
{{/usCountry}}After the defeat to India, captain Babar said, "Our bowlers bowled really well. All credit to Kohli and Pandya. It wasn't easy with the new ball. We had partnerships after 10 overs. We had a chance. We tried to stick to our plans. But credit to Virat Kohli. In the middle we decided we wanted a wicket and held the spinner back. We had a lot of positives. The way Iftikhar played and the way Shan played."
{{/usCountry}}Aiming to return to winning ways in their next match, Iftikhar said, "Zimbabwe is an international team and we have to play strong against them like any other team. Important to play well and keep up the confidence. The players are hungry to perform.”