ICC World Cup 2019 | Game against West Indies cost us semi-final spot, claims Sarfraz Ahmed

ICC World Cup 2019 | Game against West Indies cost us semi-final spot, claims Sarfraz Ahmed

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Sarfraz Ahmed heaped praise on his teammates as he singled out the seven-wicket loss to West Indies as the match that cost his team a spot in the semi-finals of the World Cup. Pakistan put up a spirited display to defeat Bangladesh by 94 runs as both teams bowed out of the tournament on Friday.

The Pakistan cricket team bowed out of the ICC World Cup 2019 despite registering a 94-run win against Bangladesh in their last outing at the World Cup on Friday. A 100-ball century from opener Imam-ul-Haq set the tone for Pakistan who needed to beat Bangladesh comprehensively to make the semi-final instead of eventual qualifiers - England.

However, Pakistan skipper Sarfraz Ahmed heaped praise on his players as he singled out the disappointing seven-wicket opening loss to West Indies as the match that cost his side a semi-final berth.

"It's very unfortunate - we played good cricket but haven't qualified. That one game, against West Indies, cost us the tournament. Boys responded well after the India game. Did well in all three after that - batting, bowling, fielding. When we started the World Cup, we had a different combination. We need to sit down. We have two months off, and we need to do a lot of work with the team," said Ahmed at theĀ post-match pressĀ presentation, reported ESPNCricinfo.

"At the moment, when team is winning everything is fine. Credit to our batsmen - Imam, Babar and Haris. And the bowlers - Amir, Shadab, Wahab, Shaheen. The way Shaheen is bowling, the consistency is amazing. One of the best bowling performances I've ever seen," Ahmed added.

Meanwhile, PakistanĀ pacer Shaheen Afridi was all smiles yesterday after he ended the day with figures 6/35.

"I'm happy for this performance. It's a special feeling for me, my family, for all of Pakistan. The wicket was slow. The first innings Mustafizur bowled well using cutters and I thought I would use cutters," Afridi added.

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