Pakistan middle-order batsman Iftikhar Ahmed has claimed that fast bowler Haris Raoob was responsible for the defeat against arch-rivals India in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 clash at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on October 23, 2022.
During a recent podcast interview with Test cricketer Fawad Alam, Iftikhar reflected on Pakistan’s heartbreaking defeat, expressing frustration at key moments in the match and how they affected his chances of winning the “Match of the Match” award.
“After every ball, I kept going to Haris Rauf from the boundary and telling him, ‘Blow a yorker’, but he has a mind of his own,” said Iftikhar.
“Of course, I would have been man of the match if we had won. Man of the match against India—that would have been great. But Kohli hit those incredible sixes and took the match away from us,” he added.
Batting first, Pakistan were 159/8 in a high-voltage T20 World Cup encounter.
Shaun Masood led the innings with 52 off 42 balls with 5 fours while Iftikhar Ahmed scored 51 off 34 balls including 2 fours and 4 sixes.
Despite these bright spots, early breakthroughs from Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya kept India in the game.
During India’s chase, Pakistan remained in control till the 18th over. With 31 needed off the last 12 balls, Rauf bowled in the second last over, conceding three runs before Virat Kohli hit two sixes in the first four balls.
This required 16 runs off six balls, which India chased down in the last ball.
Kohli scored 82 runs off 53 balls with 6 fours and 4 sixes, while Hardik Pandya scored a crucial 40 runs to lead India to a hat-trick victory.