Saudi Shakeel opens up about reason behind defeat in match against India

Ahmedabad: Pakistan's World Cup defeat to arch-rivals India came at a steep cost, as per batsman Saud Shakeel, who expressed his sorrow over the absence of fervent supporters from the tournament.

The Pakistan team suffered a resounding seven-wicket loss on Saturday at the 132,000-capacity stadium in Ahmedabad, where there were only a handful of Pakistani fans.

Babar Azam's team, despite being in a promising position at 155-2 in the 30th over, collapsed to a meager total of 191. “In my view, we we were under additional pressure, and we tried to break free from that by opting for aggressive shots,” Shakeel told AFP on Wednesday.

The scarce Pakistani supporters present at the game were mainly expatriates from the United Kingdom and the United States. Due to visa issues, supporters from Pakistan were effectively prohibited from attending the event.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) lodged an official complaint with the global governing body, addressing the visa delays, which have also affected several members of the Pakistani media who couldn't make it to the event. Furthermore, the PCB raised concerns about what they labeled as "inappropriate behavior" exhibited by Indian fans toward the Pakistan squad during the Ahmedabad match.

Shakeel emphasized the importance of home support, stating, "When you have your crowd, then you get the support. We did not get that, and it was beyond our control."

Despite their eighth consecutive World Cup defeat to India, Pakistan remains well-placed in the tournament following victories against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka. In their previous matches, Shakeel, a middle-order batsman, contributed with a score of 68 against the Netherlands and 31 against Sri Lanka, but he was dismissed for just six runs against India.

Pakistan's next challenge is another high-profile encounter, this time against five-time champions Australia in Bengaluru on Friday. Shakeel acknowledged the need to rectify the mistakes made in the previous game, emphasizing the importance of a victory against Australia to improve their standing in the tournament.

On Wednesday, all Pakistan players, except for Mohammad Haris, participated in training in Bengaluru. Haris, who is still suffering from a fever, was one of the players affected when the team arrived from Ahmedabad. Star fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi and opener Abdullah Shafique, who also endured illness, were present at the practice session held at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.