Pakistan wrapped up their 2024 ICC T20 World Cup journey with a close three-wicket win over Ireland in their final Group A match in Florida on Sunday. Captain Babar Azam and his team are facing intense criticism after an unexpected early exit from the tournament, with concerns being raised about Babar Azam’s captaincy. He was reinstated as skipper before the tournament after relinquishing the captaincy following a poor ODI World Cup campaign last year.
Babar Azam’s On His Future Captaincy
In a post-match press conference after the game against Ireland, Babar addressed the captaincy issue. He stated that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) would review the campaign at home and decide on the team’s future leadership. He emphasized that his reinstatement as captain was a decision made solely by the PCB and noted that one player cannot be blamed for the loss, as it is always a collective failure.
“As far as captaincy is concerned, when I first stole, I felt I should not do it anymore, so I stole. I had announced it myself. Whatever has been given back, that is PCB’s decision, they have given it. Now we will go, we will sit and discuss whatever has happened here and this decision will be taken later… when I have to steal, I will tell it openly, whatever happens will happen in front of everyone. I have not thought about it yet. Whatever decision is taken, PCB will take it,” Babar said.
Babar expressed his disappointment about the team’s early exit, acknowledging the collective failure rather than blaming individuals. He noted the team’s struggle to synchronize performances; when the bowlers excelled, the batting line-up faltered.
“We are more sad than you are. Players, management, everyone is sad. We could not play cricket as expected. We could not perform as well as the players we had. So in my opinion , we did not play well as a team. It is not that we lost because of one person. As a team we lost. As a team we could not click. Sometimes we did well in bowling, sometimes we did not do well in batting ,” Babar added. While discussing the conditions, Babar admitted that the pitches slightly favoured fast bowlers, but the primary issue was their batting failures in critical moments. He pointed out that losing wickets back-to-back put them in a difficult position in crucial matches. “The pitches here were helping the fast bowlers a bit. Our batting didn’t click. When things came in our hands, we lost wickets, due to which they lost two crucial matches. We We were going ahead, the pressure was on the other team but when you lose back-to-back wickets, the pressure comes on you,” Babar said.
He admitted that while the pitches slightly favoured fast bowlers, the main issue was their batting failures in crucial moments. Losing wickets in quick succession put them in difficult positions during key matches.
Pakistan’s Shocking Exit
The rainout match of USA vs IRE was a disaster for Pakistan. USA gained a point automatically, securing their spot in the Super 8s with five points. Pakistan stayed at four points, ending their chances of moving forward. Throughout the tournament, Pakistan’s journey has been up and down. They showed flashes of brilliance mixed with moments of disappointment. Despite playing well in earlier matches, the washout was a harsh way to end their campaign. Pakistani players and fans will surely feel disappointed about what could have been if the weather had not disrupted their chances.