Pakistan U19 captain Saad Baig opened up after the Green Shirts were defeated by one wicket in a low-scoring thriller against Australia in the 2024 U19 World Cup on Thursday.
Defending the low 180-run target, Pakistan came close to winning as they only required one wicket but Australia’s Raf MacMillan held his composure and hit Mohammad Zeeshan for a boundary on the first ball of the last over.
Baig admitted that the team was short by 10 to 20 runs before he went on to appreciate the efforts the team put in a close encounter.
“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 said after the 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.”
Earlier, an interesting chase brewed up as Pakistan fought back on the back of Ali Raza and Arafat Minhas. However, Australia managed to overcome Pakistan by the barest of margins.
An intriguing chase unfolded as Pakistan staged a comeback led by Ali Raza and Arafat Minhas. However, Australia narrowly prevailed over the Men in Green.
Australia will now lock horns with India in the final on February 11 at Willowmoore Park, Benoni, South Africa.