Pakistan Prime Minister and former skipper Imran Khan has congratulated the team after their splendid win over favourites England at Trent Bridge on Monday. Sarfaraz Ahmed’s team put on a quality display as they beat Eoin Morgan’s men by 14 runs.
Taking to Twitter, the 1992 World Cup winning captain wrote: “Congratulations to the Pakistan cricket team for a great win and for coming back into form after a poor start in the warm up matches and the first WC match. You have the talent, all you need is the self belief that you can go all the way.”
Man of the Match Mohammad Hafeez admitted it was a total team effort. The middle-order batsman played a superb knock of 84 and helped Pakistan set a formidable total of 348/8. He also chipped in with the ball as he got the all-important wicket of England skipper Eoin Morgan.
“Everyone believed in the team we can win the game. We were playing good cricket before, but we weren’t winning the crucial stages. Today, everyone really chipped in, and gave everything required in the situation. We were very confident,” Hafeez said.
“We practised well yesterday, had a good meeting, and we needed one winning performance to start us off. Bowlers did a great job defending the score. Batsmen did a great job setting a great total. The first game didn’t go well, but we showed our capability today,” he added.
It was a great comeback from the Men in Green, who suffered an embarrassing seven-wicket defeat against West Indies.
“We were playing well before, but we were not winning, and this win will definitely give us a lot of confidence. It will be a really happy dressing room and I hope it remains the same way,” said the 38-yera-old.
Sarfaraz also echoed Hafeez’s sentiments and said it was a great team effort from the team which saw them break their 12-match losing streak. “It was a great team effort. Credit to batsmen for taking us to 350. Then bowlers bowled really well today,” said Sarfaraz.
(IANS)
