Pakistan captain Babar Azam was there to see his team get home against the Irish team as they scored an unbeaten 32 in a chase of 107 that almost failed. Thanks to Shaheen Shah Afridi’s five-ball, 13-run cameo, Pakistan reached the target in the penultimate over; otherwise things could have been very different.
‘We made mistakes against India and USA…’, Babar Azam admits glaring gaps in Pakistan’s game
As Pakistan’s disappointing performance in the 2024 T20 World Cup came to an end, captain Babar Azam admitted that his team made mistakes in both close matches against hosts United States of America and arch-rival India. Although they ended their campaign with a three-wicket victory over Ireland, Pakistan’s management will have a lot to think about.
Pakistan captain Babar was there to see his team get home against the Irish team as they scored an unbeaten 32 in a near-miss chase of 107. Thanks to Shaheen Shah AfridiIn the cameo of 13 runs off five balls, Pakistan reached the target in the penultimate over.
Despite chasing a not-so-daunting target, Pakistan’s fragile batting was once again exposed as they slumped to 62/6 in 11 overs, raising the sights of another collapse.
“I think with bowling, the conditions suited our players. But in batting we made few mistakes in the matches against the United States and India. When you lose wickets, the pressure is on you,” Babar said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
“We couldn’t finish close games and as a team we weren’t good,” added Babar.
Pakistan lost its first two Group A matches against India and the United States before defeating Canada and Ireland. However, Babar was happy that his team finished the World T20 with a victory.
“Yes, we finished well. We took the first wickets with the ball. But with the bat we didn’t finish well. We lost consecutive wickets but in the end we got over the line,” Babar said.
The Pakistani skipper said his team will have to regroup, although he did not give any definitive answer on his future as skipper. Pakistan will tour Australia with three ODIs and as many T20Is in November, but whether Babar survives the ordeal over the next five months is something to see.
“Let’s see what the team needs, I will agree with that. We have a good group of players, we have to go home, chat and see where we are lacking, and then come back,” Babar said.
