DUBAI - Wicketkeeper-batter Muneeba Ali believes Pakistan’s ability to stay composed and maintain their belief under pressure will be vital when they take on arch-rivals India in their Asia Cup clash on Saturday.
Pakistan began their campaign with a convincing 35-run victory over Thailand, but the win was built on a determined recovery after an uncertain start with the bat. Muneeba said the team’s response to early setbacks demonstrated the confidence and resilience they will need against stronger opposition. “When wickets kept falling in the powerplay, we knew that if we got a good partnership and kept scoring runs, it would put the bowlers under pressure and give us opportunities to score,” Muneeba said during the post-match press conference. “That was my strategy.”
Nepal turns to rehabilitation as hope fades for nearly 4,000 missing after glacier disaster
Muneeba also acknowledged that Pakistan’s batting unit had struggled to find consistency in recent T20I series, but said the players had worked extensively on their weaknesses during training camps. “In the last few T20 series we played before Sri Lanka, our batting unit did not click as such and we had our struggles,” she said. “We have been working on those issues in camps to make sure we don’t repeat the same mistakes and bring in some different options in our batting.”
She added that the biggest positive against Thailand was the team’s refusal to lose confidence despite losing wickets at crucial stages. “Even when we lost wickets, the team kept believing and tried to set a total that would be defendable against the opposition on this pitch,” Muneeba said.
Kazakhstan moves ahead with construction of first nuclear power plant
Pakistan’s batting recovery was complemented by an impressive bowling performance as Thailand were restricted to 84-8 in their 20 overs. Left-arm spinner Nashra Sandhu was particularly effective, conceding only six runs in her four overs. She said understanding the pitch conditions helped her maintain control. “I knew there was bounce and turn in the pitch, and that it was keeping low. I just had to bowl in the right areas and let the pitch do the rest,” Nashra said.
All-rounder Tuba Hassan also claimed two wickets for 17 runs and stressed the importance of learning from the opening match ahead of the India encounter. “My plan was simple: bowl wicket-to-wicket and vary the pace as much as possible because we also need to prepare for the next match,” Tuba said. “These are exactly the things we need to learn from so that we can make fewer mistakes in the next matches and play better.”
Burnham and Macron agree to scale up action on small boats