Colombo [Sri Lanka]February 15 (ANI): Pakistan spinner Usman Tariq said the team atmosphere is upbeat and playing in the India-Pakistan match is a dream come true after his brilliant performance against India in the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Colombo on Sunday.
Tariq noted that the field in Colombo was slow; although he could not take many wickets, he kept the batters’ momentum under control. He expressed confidence that Pakistan would be able to chase down the target, citing the clear intent of the batters and the strong momentum gained in the previous games.
The Men in Blue scored 175/7, the highest team score in the India-Pakistan match at the ICC T20 World Cup. However, Tariq produced a brilliant spell, scalping the wicket while giving away just 24 runs in 4 overs.
“Mood is quite good. Great experience playing Pakistan vs India. Dream to play this game. The pitch was quite slow and I have played in CPL before and have a lot of experience with slow pitches. I couldn’t take more wickets. At least I kept (the batters’) momentum low. Now we are on the safe side. Of course, of course (can Pakistan chase it?). (Our) batters have a lot of momentum. The intention they demonstrated (in previous games), shows their mind is very clear,” Usman Tariq said after the first innings.
Ishan Kishan’s outstanding 77 helped India set a challenging target of 176 runs against Pakistan. Apart from Kishan, Tilak Varma (25) and Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav (32) provided vital support, while late cameos from Rinku Singh and Shivam Dube helped India achieve the result.
For Pakistan, Saim Ayub took a three-wicket haul (3/25). Tariq (1/24), Shaheen Afridi (1/31) and captain Salman Agha (1/10) were also among the wicket-takers. (ANI)
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