SOUTHAMPTON: Pakistan coach Wahab Riaz was left disappointed after Saturday’s defeat by Bangladesh in Southampton ended their hopes of reaching the semi-finals of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.
Pakistan failed to chase down Bangladesh’s target of 123-6 in the Hampshire Bowl, confirming their exit from the knockout competition with a third straight defeat in the tournament.
Despite showing promise in their opening matches, Wahab admitted that Pakistan have repeatedly failed to handle pressure situations.
“Getting out of the World Cup is very disappointing because from our point of view, I still think no other team has beaten you,” Wahab said.
“You get beat by other teams. That’s the big difference. When other teams play a good game, they beat you.
“Unfortunately, we weren’t up to the mark in the last three games and it was us who gave away games.”
Chasing a modest target, Pakistan got off to a strong start with Muneefa Ali (25) and Gul Feroza (23).
However, the middle-order slump was too great as captain Fatima Sana scored 10 runs and Pakistan collapsed in the lower order.
Fatima was one of four Pakistani batsmen to reach double figures and Wahab emphasized the need for senior players to shoulder more responsibility.
“It’s cricket, it’s a competition. You can’t let things go when you have everything in your hands, eventually you let things go easily,” he said.
“You have to work hard otherwise the opposition will take the game away from you.
“We were going at the right pace with the right runs on the board, but suddenly there was a slump. The senior players have to take charge. You can’t let it slip like this. You have to read the situation and move on.
“It was just six an over. It was under six an over, I would say, but the execution wasn’t right.”
Pakistan now face six-time champions Australia in Leeds before wrapping up their campaign against the Netherlands on Saturday.