Imad accepts blame for India loss

He admits failure to execute plans on the difficult New York pitch

Pakistan all-rounder Imad Wasim took responsibility for the loss against India in a press conference before their final T20 World Cup 2024 match against Ireland.

Pakistan was eliminated after the USA-Ireland match was washed out, sending the USA to the Super 8.

Imad admitted he failed to execute plans on the difficult New York pitch against India and emphasized Pakistan’s need to change their mindset to eliminate the fear of failure.

“In my opinion, the reason for our defeat [In the World Cup] was our mindset. We need to take the fear of failure out of our minds and try something new. It is all about mindset, other teams have also changed their thinking, we are behind them because we didn’t change our way of thinking,” Imad said.

He suggested that significant changes are needed in the team to compete effectively on the world stage.

“It’s not my domain but I think there need to be changes. There should be a drastic change so that we can move forward and fight with world cricket in the way that cricket is played now,” Imad said.

Imad also acknowledged the impact of weather on Pakistan’s elimination but stated that the team should have secured wins in their earlier matches.

“You can’t control weather. It was raining for the last week, and I’ve never seen rain in my life like that, so you can’t blame the groundsmen or ICC. It was tough that it was washed out but we shouldn’t have let this happen - we should have won both our games to be in a safe zone but unfortunately that didn’t happen,” he concluded.

Retiring again?

Pakistani cricketers Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim are once again set to retire from international cricket, with an official announcement expected soon.

Imad had previously retired in November 2023 but made a comeback following a triumphant campaign in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2024, where he helped Islamabad United to victory and earned the Player of the Match award in the final against Multan Sultans. Amir had previously retired from international cricket in 2020.

Both players returned to international cricket to participate in the T20 World Cup 2024.

“As far as retirement is concerned, we have a match tomorrow. We will play the match and after that we will think. To be honest, a lot of things are about to be sorted out in the Pakistan team. The PCB chairman and officials will sort them out,” Imad said in the press conference on Saturday ahead of Ireland game.

Imad had before the tournament explained their comeback by stating, “We came back for one reason: not just for the sake of playing. Amir and I returned to have one last go and win the World Cup. We’ve been playing in T20 World Cup semi-finals and finals, which is a significant achievement.”

He added that his return was motivated by a desire to represent Pakistan at the highest level and to finish his career on a high note, aiming to bring joy to the nation.

Despite their high hopes, Pakistan was unable to advance past the first round of the T20 World Cup, prompting Amir and Imad to contemplate retirement once more. They will, however, continue to play in various cricket leagues.

Their final appearance for Pakistan will be in a match against Ireland on Sunday.