Mohammad Rizwan's bleak reflection on India loss: 'For now, we can say it's over'

With only one remaining game against Bangladesh, Pakistan now has to rely on a series of favorable results from other teams in their group to make it to the semi-finals. This is a situation Pakistan has found themselves in multiple times in recent tournaments, but this time, it seems increasingly unlikely. Rizwan, however, admits he is not fond of depending on others.

"We can say for now that it's over - that's the reality," Rizwan said after the loss. "We'll have to see what happens between Bangladesh and New Zealand, then New Zealand and India, and finally what we do. It's a long road, and it depends on other teams."

"As a captain, I don't like relying on others. If you're good enough, you should show it by winning and controlling your own destiny. I don't enjoy worrying about other teams' results. What matters is that India and New Zealand beat us, they played better cricket, and we didn't perform well. If we get a chance to sneak through, then so be it."

Rizwan also acknowledged that the team would face tough questions about their performances. If New Zealand beats Bangladesh in Rawalpindi on Monday, Pakistan's elimination will be confirmed, marking the third consecutive ICC white-ball tournament where they have failed to reach the knockout stages.

Rizwan, who took over as the white-ball captain late last year and led Pakistan to ODI series victories in Australia and South Africa, expressed frustration with his team repeating mistakes from previous losses, such as those in a tri-series against New Zealand and South Africa and their opening match in this tournament.

"We made the same mistakes we've been making in recent matches. These are not new mistakes. We've been making them in the last four games. We work on them, but we are human, and our players are human. These mistakes happen, but we are trying to improve."

Rizwan's own performance, scoring 46 runs off 77 balls, is likely to face scrutiny, much like Babar Azam's innings in the opening loss. Although he showed some late acceleration, Rizwan's dismissal was part of a collapse where Pakistan lost three quick wickets in the middle of their innings, leaving them unable to build momentum.

"When you lose, it's obviously disappointing, and it's a difficult time. Tough questions come up," he said. "We made mistakes in all three departments, which is why we lost today."

"In our team meeting yesterday, we agreed to target 270-280, given the slow pitch and outfield. If we had gotten 280, the result might have been different. Saud (Shakeel) and I started building a partnership, but after that, our shot selection was poor. That gave them the chance to take wickets and put pressure on our middle order. They capitalized on it, and we couldn't stabilize ourselves."

Rizwan also pointed out that their batting had been undermined before the tournament even began, with the loss of Saim Ayub to a fractured ankle and Fakhar Zaman suffering an injury early in their opening match.

Rizwan expressed regret over losing both players, particularly Ayub, who was not only a dynamic opener but also provided a useful spin-bowling option. This left Pakistan reliant on Imam-ul-Haq, who has a vastly different skill set.

The team's reliance on just one specialist spinner, Abrar Ahmed, has also been questioned throughout the tournament. Despite Abrar being their best bowler in the two games, Rizwan explained that they couldn't afford to bring in another specialist spinner, as it would mean having only five genuine bowlers, which is not ideal for an ODI setup.

"In ODIs, you can't have five genuine bowlers. Naseem (Shah), Shaheen (Afridi), Haris (Rauf), Abrar - the fifth bowler in our team was picked by the selectors - Salman Agha and Khushdil Shah. If we go with two genuine spinners, that means we are playing with five bowlers and six batters, and we can't form a proper combination with that. There will be questions about whether we should have had another spinner, but in ODIs, you can't go in with five genuine bowlers. Maybe in a T20, but not an ODI."

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