ICC T20 WORLD CUP 2021

October 21, 2021

Zeeshan Maqsood

Oman Cricket Academy Ground

Oman

Post Match Media Conference

Scotland 123/2, Oman 122

Q. Zeeshan, hard luck. What went wrong? A couple of things on the team selection, on the decision of yours to bat first? Was it a team decision before the match that if you win the toss you would elect to bat? What went actually wrong in this whole game? Your batting didn't -- the early runout of Jatinder, and whether you were all under pressure because you knew that it was a must-win game before the match. Was the pressure really taking its toll? Thank you.

ZEESHAN MAQSOOD: Yeah, I would like to say that the decision on batting first, because if you are winning the toss and put some good total. That's why when I win the toss, I said, we put a good total so it's difficult to chase that down in a crucial game. But if you want to put a good total, your batsmen has to score runs. It's not mean if your batsmen is not scoring runs that you can put scores on the board.

But yeah, Jati's first over runout was a bit hard for us and we didn't accept that because he's in-form player. Definitely if the team lost their in-form players they bounce back, but we fought very well, but we couldn't -- we are I'd say 30, 40 runs short. If we score 150 plus runs, there's more chances to win the game.

But Scotland, they played very well. They showed that maturity in their batting. They never gave us a chance to come back into the match.

But overall I'm happy in the way the players has played, but there's nothing else like select to bat first. It's just game management, and myself also included, that decision is all, so we back our decision, but we don't back how we played.

Definitely there's a lot to improve. There's a lot of positiveness, positive things that we have got from other teams, from Test nation teams, so we'll note it down, and where we went wrong, we'll correct that mistakes and we'll come back strong.

The team selection is all right, but because the thing is the pitch behavior is a bit of a turning sign, that's why we include Khawar Ali. He's bowling very well. So that's why. We just gave Suraj a chance to just to improve himself because if you say selection, we have plenty of options. Somewhere we don't have plenty of options; what we have, we just go forward with them.

Still, we have faith in them that they will deliver their best.

Q. You fought until the very end; just a question on the batting because the first game was decided right in the opening, and today you played until the very end but you didn't really have support on the other end. Is this batting lineup a bit too top-heavy?

ZEESHAN MAQSOOD: No, it's like -- you can say the sureness and the responsibility, we have not taken enough, because whenever we got the boundaries but we gave away a wicket also. It's a big problem because as a player if you are getting boundaries, you have to play down and just to create (indiscernible), so still, you can take so much of runs in that over, because every time enter was coming in, every time we are losing the wickets, one after the other.

If you're losing the wickets in the T20 then you don't have a chance to come back. I say struggle, but I also scored many runs what I've played out there. So it happens.

But still, overall we are happy with the way we played, and I feel sorry the crowd and the management and the grounds staff. They have put a lot of effort to build this and make this happen.

Still, we are alive. We didn't left the play. We'll come back and play better cricket.

Q. You mentioned the positives there. If I can ask you for a few takeaways that you have from this tournament that will help you in the future.

ZEESHAN MAQSOOD: Definitely the way we played against Sri Lanka, the way we played against Mumbai and Bangladesh, you can say until the 14th over we are in the game. So we have to take that positivity to the next level.

We learned how they build their innings, how they take the games away from you, so we -- there's plenty of things. The performance-wise always I'll give Jatinder, Bilal, Kaleemullah, fastbowlers, the bowlers, they have done a fairly all right job. I'm happy for them. The point is only the batting, so we have to work on that and clear the mistakes.

Q. What are the learnings for Team Oman from the last three games?

ZEESHAN MAQSOOD: It's the same thing what I already answered, because if you play against a Test side, so you have plenty of things to learn. We learned their attitudes, their hard work and they're fully determined until the games and they're passionate.

Things which we left, we are not able to do it, so we'll sort it out and we'll come back, and we have plenty of cricket upcoming, so inshallah, we will do that.

Q. Any particular reason for Kaleemullah being dropped today? He was playing good in the earlier two games; he was okay, injured? Was there any other tactical reason?

ZEESHAN MAQSOOD: No, because it's Bilal also bowled brilliantly last game. So Kaleemullah already -- because the wicket, the pitch is not -- because less grass on that, and the reason is that we cannot go for the four fastbowlers and that's why we just add a spinner, and we left out only just to give him a rest today. That's the reason only.

Q. Zeeshan, I'll say congratulations because this journey over the last three, four years has been amazing. Again, congratulations to you particularly for leading the way. You've led by example, and we're all proud of you as local residents. We wish you well. The question that comes up is this is a new ground, first time, so many people there. The game against Bangladesh in particular, because that was -- I suppose that was a game that you had a better chance compared to this one. This one looked more like you were outplayed, if I can use that, so was it nervousness which got to you all in that game and perhaps today, also?

ZEESHAN MAQSOOD: No, because nervousness is, you can say in the fielding, only just a few was started. When we're bowling, it starts with a few collapse and a few dropped catches. That's only the main issue because when we batted, and we just lose so many wickets in the last stage of the match. Only 36 balls when we have left, but we couldn't play that well because lower order, they didn't bat very well.

Like I said, we have to correct our mistakes and we have to come back, so this is the only chance if you fall down you have a chance to come up. So every time you are going to -- if you fall down there's no chance to go up.

So we learn what we have done wrong, inshallah.

Q. Do you feel that the batsmen played poor shots, or they trapped you or they had planned exceedingly well against each batsman?

ZEESHAN MAQSOOD: I'd like to say we played bat shots and we gave away our wickets, so we have plenty of air shots what we have played. But it comes only the experience, and if you play against better sides, it will come automatically when you play against better sides like Test nation sides. It's just less experience in this kind of stage.

But we gave away our best what we have, and inshallah, we're always looking forward. We have plenty of cricket upcoming. Still we have a chance to again play in '22, so we're looking forward.

Q. I know you put up a hell of a fight and you won a lot of admiration around the world for the way that you and the team have played in this tournament. I just want to try and understand how proud you are of the team but also the whole of Oman cricket for making this event what it has been and also the way that you the team has performed during the tournament.

ZEESHAN MAQSOOD: Yeah, it's a great achievement as Oman player, as a leader, and we are very -- our spirits are very high. The management, what they have done for this tournament happened here, we feel sorry about them that we couldn't deliver, but it's a game. We tried our best, and we are very happy the way our players played.

Obviously this thing, home country, home conditions, we were not able to get every time, but we couldn't use it properly, so we have plenty of feel, yes. We have to improve, fielding, bowling, batting, as well, and we feel proud. I lead the side, but I feel sorry about myself for the players and the supporters, the groundsmen, everybody we couldn't make it because everybody have faith on us and they have hopes.

But it's cricket. We cannot stop playing cricket. We have to play cricket, and we have to fight back and come back and deliver some good performances and go forward. We have to achieve what we lost today, and inshallah, we will do it.

Q. I wanted to ask, you mentioned learning from other teams. Did your team as a whole or any individuals get a chance to meet any particular players from other teams, any of the big names and get any advice, either during the tournament or during the warmups before?

ZEESHAN MAQSOOD: Yeah, we have just -- not very much but only one or two. Players went to Shakib Al Hasan and Harad (ph), so we went to them because they are legends in this circuit. It's quite nice the way they just give their experience to us. So yeah, we are taking to the right way, and we have to apply that. Hopefully we'll play against them upcoming days or years, so it will improve our skills and our mentality, also.

That's it.

Q. It's been quite the journey for you and the team; what's the final message you want to give to the world and also the home support that you've received from the Omani cricket communities.

ZEESHAN MAQSOOD: Yeah, I feel sad and sorry, but with your support only we can come back and we can perform better. If you support us, we are here to perform, so this is the one only thing we want from you guys, and inshallah, we'll try to give our best no matter how or when. We need your prayers. We need your support and your backup. Hopefully inshallah you are there always, in Oman, or we are in Oman or we are outside Oman, you are always giving us a backup.

Thank you very much, and sorry we couldn't make it. Still there's life, there's chances, so we'll come back and fight. Thank you.