Florida [USA], June 17 (ANI): Pakistan captain Babar Azam laid out the future course of action after the Men in Green suffered an early and shocking exit from the ongoing T20 World Cup.
Placed in Group A, Pakistan endured back-to-back defeats against the co-hosts USA and then to their bitter rival, India.
They bounced back with two wins on the trot, but it wasn’t enough to turn their woeful campaign around and secure a spot in the Super 8.
After concluding their campaign on a winning note against Ireland on Sunday, Babar acknowledged that Pakistan possess good players at their disposal, but they failed to deliver as a team.
“We have a good bunch of players. We’ve to go home, chat and see where we lack, and then come back. Couldn’t finish off close games, as a team we weren’t good as a team,” Babar said in the post-match presentation.
After restricting Ireland to 106/9, Pakistan’s chase almost got derailed when their middle order slumped against Irish quicks.
Babar stood on one end, playing the anchor role, while wickets kept falling on the other end. Shaheen Afridi, who starred with the ball, came at the end and slogged two maximums to seal a three-wicket win for his team.
Babar assessed the Pakistan team’s as well as his performance in all aspects of the game and felt they fell short in the batting department.
“We finished well. We took early wickets in the bowling. In the batting, we did not do well, but we took it home with the tailenders. Bowling was good as conditions suited our fast bowlers. Batting we made a few mistakes, we had chances to win against USA and India. If the team needs me to open, I will, and if they need me to bat 3, I will. Whatever the team situation suits, I will do it,” he concluded.
Shaheen Afridi was adjudged Player of the Match for his sensational spell with the ball. The 24-year-old scythed three wickets in his four-over spell while giving away 22 runs at a mere economy of 5.50.
His spell in the powerplay rocked Ireland and laid the foundation for a low-run chase for Pakistan.
“Wicket was supporting for the new ball. We just tried to hit our good areas and strike early. Our plans were a success. My idea was to bowl fuller, and we were trying to hit our areas. We didn’t play good cricket, which our country demands,” he said in the post-match presentation.
Shaheen came at the end when Pakistan had put their chances of winning in jeopardy. He muscled the ball into the stands twice to rescue Pakistan from another humiliation.
“There are few areas we need to improve quickly, and the Champions Trophy is coming. We have to improve, and we’ll have to grow as a team. Crowd – they always come and support us. Thank you, everyone, for the support. It’s tough times, but they always come and support us. That’s what we need as a team. That’s my job. I come late (to bat) in the innings. I just hit. The team needed it. Always trying to hit sixes,” he concluded. (ANI)
