Pakistan’s T20 World Cup 2024 campaign ended on a bittersweet note, as they managed to beat Ireland by three wickets at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, Florida, but not without some struggles. Captain Babar Azam reflected on the team’s performance, particularly lamenting the mistakes made in crucial matches against rivals India and group members USA.
Babar Azam, who played a pivotal role with a composed 32 runs in the turbulent chase of 107 against Ireland, expressed his frustration and disappointment in the post-match presentation ceremony.
“I think with the bowling, conditions suited our bowlers. But in batting, we made a few mistakes in the matches against the USA and India. When you lose wickets, the pressure is on you,” he acknowledged. He candidly admitted, “We couldn’t finish off close games, and as a team, we weren’t good.”
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The 2009 T20 World Champions faced early setbacks with defeats against India and the USA. These losses placed them in a challenging position right from the start. Despite this, the team showed resilience by securing victories over Canada and Ireland in their subsequent matches.
Babar Azam expressed a mix of relief and disappointment as he commented on their final game, “Yes, we finished well. We took early wickets with the ball. But with the bat, we didn’t finish well. We lost back-to-back wickets, but got over the line in the end.”
With the future of his captaincy under scrutiny, especially after underwhelming performances in both the ODI and T20 World Cups, Babar remains optimistic about the team’s potential. He emphasized the need for introspection and improvement, stating, “Let’s see what the team needs; I’ll be okay with it. We have a good bunch of players. We’ve got to go home, chat, and see where we lacked, and then come back stronger.”
The captain pointed out that while the bowling unit has shown promise, especially in conditions that suited them, it was the batting that consistently let the team down. This inconsistency in batting performance was a critical factor in their inability to close out crucial games.
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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) now faces the huge tension of rebuilding a team that can win. The immediate focus will be to win the upcoming three-match ODI series against Australia, scheduled to be played in November later this year. This series will provide another opportunity for the team to prove their mettle, address their shortcomings, and prepare for future challenges.
