Pakistan national team assistant coach Azhar Mahmood in a candid talk on Pakistan's recent T20 World Cup performance has said that at the moment, everyone's morale in the team is down. However, it's necessary to lift it as we can still bounce back, and we won't lose hope until it's over. Pakistan fell short of a modest 120-run target, managing only 113/7 against India yesterday. "After two defeats, everyone is quite disheartened. Losing against India is more disappointing than a defeat against the USA," Mahmood remarked. Mahmood blamed Pakistan's batters' shot selection as the main cause of the defeat. "Our shot selection wasn't right, which led to a run rate of 10. We were playing well until the 15th over.

We lost as a team and can't blame individuals," he maintained. He accepted that the team management was also responsible for the defeat. "The responsibility of failure lies with the entire management, we all have made mistakes," he said. "If a player starts doubting their ability, it becomes very difficult. If we play with confidence in ourselves, it will prove everyone wrong. "Now there's no room for misunderstandings. If someone considers any opponent easy, they don't have a place in international cricket," he stated. Pakistan team need to win the next two games against Canada and Ireland in order to qualify for the Super 8. "There are players in Canada who can perform against us. We have to win this match at all costs now," he concluded.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan