Afghanistan’s Hamid Hassan felt he could have stopped Pakistan from getting over the line in a thrilling World Cup match if his one-day career hadn’t come to an end with a painful injury.
Paceman Hassan, 32, could only bowl two overs before injuring his hamstring as Pakistan overcame a tense chase to beat the minnows on Saturday.
Gulbadin Naib’s side, playing in their second World Cup, are winless in the 10-team group stage with one match to play.
But Hassan, who is slated to sign off his ODI career after the World Cup, said it was disappointing to hobble off the field and see his team lose again.
“Of course I was looking forward to winning the game for the team. I was playing my last ODI and in a very good mood,” he said.
“I bowled very well in the first over and wanted to keep going but. I feel like it’s something broken inside of my hamstring. I was very excited and pumped up.”
With Hassan out of the attack, Naib decided to bring himself on in the final stages, only to give away 18 runs to Pakistan batsman Imad Wasim.
“I felt very emotional because the team missed me a lot and the ball was also reversing. The situation would have changed,” said Hassan, who also played in the 2015 World Cup.
Right-arm seamer Hassan, who has claimed 59 wickets in 38 ODI matches since making his debut in 2009 for the war-torn nation, said he will continue to play Twenty20 cricket for another two years.
Afghanistan end their World Cup campaign against West Indies on July 4 in Leeds.
Naib, who conceded 73 runs in 9.4 wicketless overs, said that hamstring injury Hassan after he had bowled just two overs was the turning point in the match.
“We had the feeling they weren’t targeting every bowler,” said Naib, who was controversially appointed captain in place of the successful Asghar Afghan two months before the World Cup.
“Every team has their plans and I thought the crucial point is for the 46th over that I bowled and 18 runs, it’s not really good.”
“If Hamid was there maybe I didn’t bowl more than three or four overs because I do not have enough speed for this kind of surface,” he added.
(With AFP inputs)
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