Captain Waqar Younis insisted he was right to bowl first in Pakistan's 82-run defeat to Australia in Johannesburg.
Former captain Imran Khan had used his exclusive BBC Sport Online column to criticise Waqar's decision to send the world champions into bat on what turned out to be an excellent pitch at the Wanderers.
All-rounder Andrew Symonds produced a match-winning performance to guide Australia to a commanding total of 309 thanks to an unbeaten 143 from only 125 deliveries.
The defeat is a bitter blow for Waqar's side, especially considering they had their Group A rivals reeling at 86-4 in the 16th over.
"Winning the toss was very vital, we did very well with the new ball but in the middle of their innings we didn't do that well," said Waqar.
Symonds, whose place in the middle order had been in doubt before the start of the tournament, smashed 18 boundaries and two sixes on the way to his first international century.
Symonds (left) celebrates his ton with team-mate Ian Harvey
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"I have never seen him play like this," said Waqar. "It was an outstanding innings.
"Symonds took the game away from us and we really struggled in the later overs."
And Pakistan's batsmen never got to grips with Australia's intimidating total, despite brave resistance from Rashid Latif and Wasim Akram towards the end of their innings.
But Waqar insisted his side will now be concentrating their efforts on their next match against Namibia on 16 February in Kimberley.
"It was an important game, but it's gone now. Still, the tournament is wide open," he added.
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