NEW DELHI: It's not often you hear a captain express satisfaction after a loss, but that's exactly what happened in the Champions One-Day Cup, Pakistan's local tournament being held in Faisalabad.
Mohammad Haris, leading the Stallions, saw his team concede a staggering 231 runs in just 20 overs to the Mohammad Rizwan-led Markhors at Iqbal Stadium.
For the Markhors, Iftikhar Ahmed (60) and Salman Agha (51) both scored solid half-centuries. In response, the Stallions were bowled out for a meager 105, with Zahid Mahmood taking a devastating five-wicket haul.
The biggest surprise came during the post-match presentation, when Haris, the losing captain, stated that he was happy his team had lost.
"Koi galti nahi hui. Hum jo chah rahe they. Hum team ki strength check kar rhe they. [There was no mistake. We did what we wanted to do. We were checking the team's strength," Haris said after the match.
"Humne pehle match mein toss jeeta and batting ki thi. Aaj humne chase kiya. Jisse ki hume apni strength ka pata chal jaye. Wohi hua. Khushi hai ki hum haar gye In the first match, we won the toss and chose to bat. Today, we chased, so that we could understand our strength. That’s exactly what happened. We’re happy that we lost]," he said.
WATCH:Haris’ remarks, as a senior Pakistan player, did not sit well with fans, who quickly took to social media to criticize his comments.
The Stallions suffered a crushing 126-run defeat to the Markhors.
Their next match will be against the Dolphins on Thursday.
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