Hasan Nawaz Says Pakistan Will Learn From Asian Games Final Defeat
Sports Correspondent: Imran Sohail
Pakistan batter Hasan Nawaz says the team will look to learn from its mistakes in the Asian Games final as it prepares to face Sri Lanka in a three-match T20 International series.
Speaking during a training session at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Wednesday, Hasan said the players must move forward by learning from setbacks rather than remaining focused on a defeat.
Pakistan will host Sri Lanka in three T20 Internationals, with the first match scheduled for Friday in Rawalpindi. All three games of the series will be played at the same venue.
The Pakistan team recently suffered a 19-run defeat against India in the Asian Games final in Nisshin, Japan. Hasan was one of the standout performers for Pakistan, scoring 96 runs from 51 balls with seven sixes and five fours.
Chasing a target of 212, Pakistan finished on 192-6 in its 20 overs.
Hasan said the narrow defeat was disappointing and felt that Pakistan could have won the match had it avoided some key mistakes.
The 24-year-old batter also reflected on his own journey against India. He was left out of the Pakistan team after a difficult performance against India in last year’s T20 Asia Cup, but later returned to the side and produced an impressive innings in the Asian Games final.
According to Hasan, scoring heavily against a strong Indian side has given him additional confidence ahead of the upcoming series.
Pakistan’s T20 squad has undergone several changes following inconsistent performances by some experienced players. Salman Ali Agha, Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi are not part of the squad for the Sri Lanka series.
Sahibzada Farhan has retained the captaincy after leading Pakistan in the Asian Games, while the selectors have included several young players as part of a revamped T20 side.
Hasan, Abdul Samad, Khawaja Nafay, Arafat Minhas, Maaz Sadaqat, Sufyan Moqim and Razaullah are among the younger players included in the squad.
Fast bowler Naseem Shah has also returned to the T20 team after last representing Pakistan in the format at this year’s T20 World Cup.
Sri Lanka will be led by Kusal Mendis. The two teams last met in a T20 series in Pakistan in November, when the hosts won the three-match series 2-1.
Hasan believes the experience of playing against high-quality opposition, particularly India, can help Pakistan’s young players perform with greater confidence in the upcoming matches.
