Saad Baig reflects on Pakistan’s narrow loss in U19 World Cup semifinal

• Pakistan lost by 1 wicket to Australia in a close match.
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• Baig admits they were short by 10-20 runs.
• Praises team effort, especially Ali Raza’s bowling.

Following a nail-biting match in the 2024 U19 World Cup on Thursday, Pakistan U19 captain Saad Baig shared his thoughts after Pakistan’s one-wicket defeat to Australia.

In the match, Pakistan was defending a modest target of 180 runs. They were on the verge of victory, needing just one more wicket, but Australia’s Raf MacMillan remained calm under pressure and scored a boundary off the first ball of the final over against Mohammad Zeeshan.

Baig conceded that their team fell short by about 10 to 20 runs, but he also acknowledged the team’s hard work in the closely fought match.

“Difficult to accept as a losing team. We were short by 10 or 20 runs. We put in a lot of effort, and we played well. Boys fought really well. The way Ali Raza bowled was brilliant. All the team fought really well. I think that we were short of runs. The lack of runs, maybe 15-20 runs,” Baig expressed post-match.

“But we played well, fought well. But Australia played very well. All the boys throughout the tournament were brilliant. Our bowling was really well in the tournament. As a captain, I am proud to be leading a country. One team has to lose, one has to win. Doesn’t matter.”

Prior to this, an exciting chase was set up as Pakistan made a comeback thanks to the efforts of Ali Raza and Arafat Minhas. Despite this, Australia managed to edge past Pakistan by the smallest of margins.

The chase was thrilling as Pakistan, led by Ali Raza and Arafat Minhas, made a strong comeback. However, Australia managed to narrowly outperform the Men in Green.

Australia is now set to face India in the final on February 11 at Willowmoore Park, Benoni, South Africa.

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