England skipper Moeen Ali was disappointed after his team could not chase down 167 runs in the fourth T20I at the National Stadium, Karachi against Pakistan on Sunday. England bowlers did well to restrict the opposition at 166-4 after Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan added 97 runs for the opening alliance.
However, England got off to a terrible start in their batting innings as they found themselves on the ropes at 14-3. Liam Dawson scored 34 runs from 17 balls to get his team close to the target but they could not get over the line. Dawson also picked up a wicket and conceded 32 runs in his four overs.
Ali feels Dawson batted well but he would be disappointed after not getting the team to victory.
Moeen Ali said in the post-match presentation, “It was a great game, could have gone both ways. We should have chased it down, disappointed that we couldn’t. Lost too many wickets upfront, and did well to keep hanging in there. Brooksy did well again, and Duckett too. Liam (Dawson) had a great game, obviously, he’ll be disappointed to not finish things off.”
On the other hand, Haris Rauf delivered the goods with the ball for the home team as he scalped three wickets and conceded 32 runs in the quota of four overs. Rauf revealed that the team’s bowling coach Shaun Tait has kept the bowlers relaxed.
“When a player starts a career, he always struggles. With time, a player learns, and I am learning as well. I have worked with different coaches and Tait has kept the bowlers relaxed. He has worked with me for quite some time since the tour of Sri Lanka. So, I tried to work on my fitness ahead of the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup,” Rauf was quoted as saying in a post-match press conference.
Rauf added that the T20 format is unpredictable for the bowlers but they should have confidence in their abilities to deliver for the team in crunch situations.
“In T20 cricket, someday, you bowl well, and on certain days, you go for runs. But you should have confidence in your abilities. I have full confidence in my strengths,” he added.
The fifth T20I between Pakistan and England will be played on Wednesday at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.
