Imam ul Haq optimistic about clash with India

Imam frustrated after narrow Pakistan loss but optimistic ahead of key India clash , The Falcons suffered a 41-run defeat to defending champions Australia at Taunton, Imam made 53 in the run-chase but Pakistan fell to 266 all out.

Imam-ul-Haq took Pakistan’s defeat by Australia to heart at Taunton, admitting he felt “huge disappointment” after getting out tamely just when he thought he was in a position to inspire his side to a famous World Cup win.

Pakistan’s opener looked in fine form and had just reached his 50 in a dangerous-looking partnership with veteran Mohammad Hafeez as his side were 136/2, chasing what seemed a reachable target of 308, when he was dismissed for 53 off 75 balls in soft fashion by Pat Cummins.

From a ball which was short down the leg side, and would have been called a wide had he left it alone, Imam tried to pull but could only glove it to the Australian wicket-keeper Alex Carey.

It was a dismissal that transformed the match with three more wickets tumbling quickly and it left Imam so crestfallen that he hung his head and could barely him drag himself away back to the pavilion.

“Obviously, I’m playing well – and this team depends on me and Babar (Azam),” he said. “When Babar got out (for 30), it was then my responsibility and I was going well but it was not a good ball that got me out, the same as I did against the West Indies.

“I knew I’d spent a hell of a lot of time on a tricky wicket so I knew it wouldn’t be easy for any new batsman to come in. So it was a huge disappointment because it’s a World Cup stage and if you get set, you really have to make it count if you want to stay in the tournament.

“If I’ve scored 30 in a winning side, that would be great, I’d be very happy. As a pro, if you’re winning matches for your country, that’s the best thing and if you’re not even if you score a fifty, that’s a huge disappointment.”

Despite some late defiance from captain Sarfaraz Ahmed and freewheeling number nine Wahab Riaz, Sarfaraz’s men succumbed by 41 runs and are now in an increasingly precarious position in eighth place.

Asked if it now made the hugely high-pressured match against neighbours India on Sunday at Old Trafford a must-win affair, Imam admitted: “Yes, we’ve had one game rained off which was very important for us – every game now is very important for us, so yes you can say that.

“Obviously, to be part of that kind of game, it’s great. It’s in Manchester, lots of Pakistani fans there – so I’m really excited about it.

“It’s a huge pressure game, obviously. Pakistan and India, there’s a lot of mysteries behind that but we want to just focus on our cricket strengths and how we can get better.”