Yuvraj Singh expressed his high disappointment over Babar Azam bad decision on positioning Fakhar Azam to non-striker end in Super Over run chase as dramatic group match between co-hosts the USA and Pakistan at Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas was the first major upset of the T20 World Cup 2024, possibly the largest in the competition’s history. After Pakistan’s score of 159 was levelled by the home side in the 20-over match, left-arm bowler Saurabh Netravalkar proved to be the stand out performer for this historic upset match, giving the USA their second consecutive tournament victory.
Yuvraj, who has been named one of the T20 World Cup’s 2024 brand ambassadors, took to social media following Pakistan’s devastating defeat. He believed that Babar had mishandled the situation by not letting Fakhar challenge Netravalkar, which would have prevented the left-arm pacer from bowling on right lines to left-handed hitter and given Pakistan the advantage. Regretfully, Fakhar did not score during the Super Over, as Iftikhar was dismissed, leaving right-handed Shadab Khan to handle the final three deliveries.
Yuvraj Singh wrote these lines on his twitter account, “I don’t understand why didn’t @FakharZamanLive take strike to a lefty seamer – when it is easier for a left hander to hit through the angle that bowler is trying to create. Nonetheless have to give it #TeamUSA @usacricket for making smart decisions under pressure specially the captain Monank Patel. “Now, Pakistan needs a must-win against India & they surely need to bat & field better! With India’s strong start, it’s gonna be hard to beat us!”
Pakistan defeat just before their biggest match to be played against India on Sunday June 9 in New York, where India will be coming off a victory against Ireland on Wednesday, Pakistan now must need to win this match otherwise as the USA will almost advance to the next round of Super 8 of T20 World Cup 2024 as they now have already won their first 2 matches against Canada and Pakistan.