Muneeba Ali Believes Pakistan Can Rise to the Challenge Against India in Asia Cup

Pakistan's response to pressure will be put to the test when they meet India in the Asia Cup on Saturday, and Muneeba Ali feels staying confident could make the difference.

The wicketkeeper-batter believes Pakistan's opening game against Thailand showed what the team can do when things do not go according to plan. The side found itself in trouble after losing wickets early, but the players kept their composure and worked their way out of the difficult situation.

Their recovery gave Pakistan a competitive total to defend. The bowlers then backed up the batters with a disciplined display, keeping Thailand to 84/8 in 20 overs and securing a comfortable win in their first match.

For Muneeba, the way Pakistan responded was not down to luck. She feels the players' trust in their own ability helped them turn the game around, and that same belief will be important against India.

“When wickets kept falling in the powerplay, we knew that if we got a good partnership and kept scoring runs, it would put the bowlers under pressure and give us opportunities to score,” said Muneeba Ali in a post-match press conference.

Muneeba then admitted that Pakistan had been struggling with some batting issues lately but stressed that the team had also shown positive signs of overcoming them.

“In the last few T20 series we played before Sri Lanka, our batting unit did not click as such and we had our struggles,” said Muneeba Ali.

“We have been working on those issues in camps to make sure we don’t repeat the same mistakes and bring in some different options in our batting.” added Muneeba Ali.

“Today, the difference was that even when we lost wickets, the team kept believing and tried to set a total that would be defendable against the opposition on this pitch.” added Muneeba Ali.

Meanwhile, Nashra Sandhu, who bowled exceptionally well against Thailand, said that the pitch was offering enough help to the bowlers, so she tried to bowl in the right areas to take advantage of it.

“I knew there was bounce and turn in the pitch, and that it was keeping low. I just had to bowl in the right areas and let the pitch do the rest,” said Nashra Sandhu.

Tuba Hassan also echoed the thoughts of Sandhu, saying the pitch offered good assistance to the bowlers, which helped them keep the pressure on Thailand.

“My plan was simple: bowl wicket-to-wicket and vary the pace as much as possible because we also need to prepare for the next match,” said Tuba Hassan.