JOIN USCaught off guard: Malik
Pakistan batsman Shoaib Malik feels they were caught off guard by the conditions here but after their match against India are better placed to deal with the challenges presented by the surface at Sher-e-Bangla National stadium.
Pakistan, who arrived on Wednesday, played their opening match in Asia Cup against India. Malik conceded they made mistakes during their five-wicket loss to the arch-rivals and was confident that Pakistan would bounce back in their next match against UAE on Monday.
“In this tournament, every game is very crucial. Playing against India, it’s a pressure game for both the teams. We made some mistakes, we didn’t know what the conditions here would be. Now we have played, now we know how to deal with it. It’s going to be a great game against UAE,” Malik said.
“It was tough to bat yesterday, but we had miscalculated somewhat, because we had no idea about the conditions. It wasn’t a typical T20 wicket where you look at 170 or 180. It’s especially tough if you are playing against a good batting side.
Obviously, you learn from your mistakes, and that’s why we are here to practice.”Malik believed they possess the best attack among the five participating teams and that their batsmen need to stand up to back the bowlers.
“We know we have the best attack among all the teams. Batsmen have to take responsibility. Whoever gets in has to score 60-70, so your team ends up scoring 140-150, which the bowlers can defend. I am not thinking about run rate. Our goal is to win our first game and then take it from there,” he said.
“Against India we should have scored 130. We had two run outs. Otherwise one of them might have gone on to score 40-50. Of course, India’s batting is better, but Pakistan’s bowling is better. In these condition, 130-plus is a great score, I think, unless the conditions change. The game against India is always special.
Even two real brothers, when they play against each other, they want to win. It’s the same with us.”