Pakistan went down fighting in the second T20I as West Indies held their nerves to win the contest by 2 wickets with a ball to spare. It was a thriller and could have gone either way. While the hosts will be relieved that they have a win under their belt, Pakistan had a lot to ponder about mainly in the batting department. These are issues they need to address going forward in the decider and beyond. We will list out reasons why they lost this game.
Lacklustre Performance In Powerplay Hurts Pakistan
Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first on a dry looking surface. It was expected that they will get off to a decent start but they actually did not as Jason Holder through his incisive bowling got early breakthroughs for the hosts. Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, and Mohammad Haris came and went in quick succession inside the powerplay. All 3 of them could not enter double digits.
It meant that Pakistan were at a lowly 24/3 after 6 overs. It is said that when you lose 3 or more wickets in the powerplay, you tend to lose most of the games. Yes, Pakistan responded with the ball as well as they kept West Indies down to 34/2 in the run chase powerplay. But being 24/3 meant that Pakistan were always playing catch up and although they had a great middle phase, it bore no fruit at the end.
The pitch was challenging and not ideal for stroke-play but Pakistan should have come with better plans to navigate that. Going forward, they need to be more clinical and proactive in the powerplay. Going at 4 runs an over and losing 3 meant Pakistan would get to a below par score only. They will look to work on this area ahead of tomorrow’s decider.
Losing 23/5 in the death overs pegs Pakistan further backÂ
After a lacklustre powerplay, Pakistan rebounded well in the middle overs phase as they took the score from 24/3 in 6 overs to 110/4 in 15 overs. That was mainly due to Hasan Nawaz and Salman Ali Agha partnership. So, the stage was set for Pakistan to finish with a flurry and maybe get to 150-160 from that position. What followed was shocking to say the least.
Pakistan lost wickets like nine pins as the Hasan Nawaz wicket elicited a collapse with the captain falling soon after. Jason Holder came back and did the star turn as the innings lost total momentum in the last 5 overs which is called the death overs. They went from 110/4 in 15 overs to 133/9 in 20 overs losing 5/23 in 30 balls. As if doing badly in one phase wasn’t enough, the visitors got 2 out of 3 phases wrong in the batting department.
Going ahead, they cannot have multiple bad phases in an innings as that will result in a below par score more often than not. Pakistan who were brilliant in the first game, fell short in these phases and despite the bowler’s best efforts went down in the game but they went down fighting. One hopes that they fight back and not repeat these mistakes in the next game.
Hasan Ali’s lacklustre performance hurts Pakistan bowling in close game
The bowling of Pakistan was lion-hearted as they took the fight to West Indies despite a below par score. The spinners did well while Shaheen bowled decently and almost defended the score. Pakistan opted to use 5 bowlers only and one bowler had to be targeted by West Indies as Hasan Ali was the bowler. He went for 48 runs in 4 overs without picking up a wicket and made it a little easier for the West Indies.
Hasan Ali is an experienced campaigner and has been with the side for a long time and Pakistan expects better from him when the game is on the line. He bowled his final over when 24 was needed off 12 balls and gave away 16 runs as Shepherd hit him for a boundary and maximum while he bowled a lot of wides as well. That meant West Indies needed only 8 off 6 balls and despite Shaheen’s best efforts it was not to be for Pakistan.
Hasan did not play a few nights ago as Pakistan played Haris Rauf. Today, he was brought in as per workload management and tactical decision, and it turned out to be a disaster. Hasan Ali knows his place in the side is not fixed and it is important he delivers the goods more often than not to keep his place in the side. These kind of performances could lead to his exile from the side.
What Lies Ahead
All eyes will be on Florida for the 3rd and final T20I to be played between these two sides on Monday morning i.e. 4th August with the series level at 1-1. The decider promises to be a thrilling encounter as both teams will be desperate to win the match and series. Let’s see who holds their nerves in the series-decider. An ideal preparation for both teams ahead of T20 World Cup 2026.
Will West Indies clinch the series or will Pakistan bounce back from this heart-breaking loss to clinch the series? Only time will tell.
Also Read: WI vs PAK: 3 Reasons for West Indies’ Astounding Defeat In 1st T20I