Srinagar: Pakistan spinner Mohammad Nawaz had said that small boundaries are making life difficult for bowlers in India during ongoing World Cup 2023.
Pakistan are set to play its second match of the tournament against Sri Lanka in Hyderabad.
Speaking to PCB Digital ahead of the contest, Nawaz, said, “It is very important to start a big tournament on a positive note and that is what we were looking for.”
“We have played two practice matches here and our tournament opener in Hyderabad. It all, however, boils down to playing good cricket on the day and executing your skills perfectly. We are hopeful of carrying the momentum that we have gained by beating the Netherlands and finishing the Hyderabad leg with a win.”
“Shadab and I were looking to take the innings deep and the plan was to keep building the partnership till the 45th, 46th over and then finish on an attacking note. Unfortunately, we could not provide that finishing but we were able to get a good total for the team.”
After that 27th over by Haris, Pakistan had a tight grip on the match, but de Leede continued to provide resistance. He was finally undone, thanks to a scorcher from Nawaz that had everything that a left-arm orthodox can imagine.
“It is a dream ball of any left-arm orthodox to bring the ball in with drift and then turn it away,” Nawaz, who finished with figures of one for 31 from seven overs, said. “Bas de Leede is a good all-rounder and he was looking good at that time. His wicket was crucial.”
Nawaz also shares the notion that the bowlers will need to be disciplined here in India to get rewards in conditions which are largely tilted towards the batters, but he feels that the spinners will have a role to play as the tournament goes on.
“Most of the venues in India are more batting conducive, but the pitches will offer more turn as the tournament will progress,” he said. “Boundaries are a bit smaller here which is why it is tough here for the bowlers, but we have tried to adjust according to the conditions … I have gotten confidence from bowling in the last match and I want to build on it so I can deliver my best according to the team’s requirements.”
Though Pakistan enjoy an impeccable record against Sri Lanka in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup since 1975 defeating them on all seven occasions, the Islanders have recently outdone them. They lost a last-ball thriller in Colombo in the One-Day iteration of the Asia Cup last month and faced back-to-back defeats in the tournament’s T20 edition last year, with the last of the two matches being the final.
Nawaz, however, suggested that the past results would have no bearing when the two sides meet tomorrow. “They have won important matches against us in the last one year in white-ball cricket, but that is in the past and it should not affect us. We will go in with ‘new game, new day’ and positive mindset on Tuesday.”