"It's great for cricket that they lost," says Abdul Razzaq after India's defeat in CWC 2023 final
Nov 24, 2023
New Delhi [India], November 24 : Days after India lost the final match of the ODI World Cup 2023 against Australia at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, former Pakistan cricketer Abdul Razzaq said it was great for cricket that the 'Men in Blue' lost.
Speaking on a Pakistani TV show called 'Hasna Mana Hai', the former cricketer said that Rohit Sharma's side was over-confident and it would have been a sad moment for the game if the host country won the prestigious tournament.
Talking about the pitch in Ahmedabad, the 43-year-old added that he has never seen such a bad pitch for any ICC final before.
"Indians were over-confident. Cricket won and India lost. Had India won the World Cup, it would have been a very sad moment for the game. They used conditions to their advantage and I have never seen such a bad pitch for any ICC final before. It's great for cricket that India lost," Razzaq said.
He claimed that the host nation took advantage of the home conditions.
Razzaq also claimed that if Virat Kohli scored a century in the final game, then the 'Men in Blue' would have won the World Cup.
"Had India won, we would have felt very bad, because they were utilising the conditions, one semi-final they scored 400, the other team scores 350. In the other semi-final, 220-230 runs were scored. Then in the final 240 runs were scored. That means there is something wrong (with the conditions). The pitches and the atmosphere should be fair. There should be fair pitches and, a fair atmosphere, both teams should have balance. Today also India took advantage. Had Kohli (Virat) scored 100, then India would have won the World Cup," he added.
Coming to the final match of the tournament, India struggled on a tough batting surface after Australia elected to field first, with fifties coming from KL Rahul (66) and Virat Kohli (54). The 'Men in Blue' was bundled out for 240 in their 50 overs.
In the chase of 241 runs, Travis Head (137) and Marnus Labuschagne (58*) guided Australia to their sixth WC title at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium.
