"It wasn't as if we were under any pressure because it was a final," the Pakistan skipper said after his team went down by five runs to India. "Imran Nazir has been our in-form batsman in this tournament, and he was batting very well today. Then, he started to struggle with his groin. We lost early wickets, but his run out was the turning point. If he hadn't been run out, we would have won easily."

Malik was also quick to pay tribute to India's bowlers. "The difference was RP Singh, though all of them bowled very well," he added. "The way he bowled up front, and in the 19th over, was tremendous. I didn't get to face him this time, but from what I have seen of him here, he is a vastly different bowler to the one I played against last year. He is quicker, and his line and length have become brilliant."

Asked if he was happier getting to the final or sadder losing to India, he replied, "Of course getting to the final. When we came here, we weren't given too much of a chance. To reach the final was a great effort. We were unbeaten till today, if you take into account the fact that we lost to India in a bowl-out only.

Today, it wasn't as necessarily as if the team that was better won the match. Luck also played its part. But all credit to India for the way they approached the game, and for their work in the field. Congratulations to them!"
Once he had lost the toss, Malik said Pakistan's plan was to restrict India to between 150 and 160. "We were successful in our plan. Unfortunately, we lost too many early wickets.

“We only lost by five runs, and the runs Rohit Sharma made towards the end of the innings really helped the Indian team."