Babar Azam returns home after T20 World Cup exit

Several players had extended stay reportedly following harsh criticism after teams’ early exit from T20 World Cup

KARACHI:

Pakistan's cricket team captain, Babar Azam, who exited the T20 World Cup in the first round, has finally arrived back home.

Babar travelled from New York to Lahore via Dubai and is expected to meet PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi in the coming days to discuss his performance during the tournament.

Following their elimination from the T20 World Cup, several players of the Pakistan cricket team returned home from the United States a week ago.

However, Captain Babar Azam, along with Haris Rauf, Imad Wasim, Azam Khan, and Mohammad Amir, did not accompany the team on their return journey.

Earlier according to media reports, Babar, Shadab Khan, and several others, had reduced their public interactions in the US following harsh criticism from fans and media alike after the teams’ early exit from the T20 World Cup 2024.

This change in behaviour towards fans came after a widely circulated video on social media showed 30-year-old Rauf confronting a fan who had directed negative remarks at him.

A video of Rauf getting involved in a heated verbal altercation with a fan in the USA had gone viral on social media. Despite efforts from his wife and friends to restrain him, Rauf charged towards the fan.

In the aftermath of Pakistan’s recent T20 World Cup loss to India in New York, former cricketer Basit Ali criticized the current state of the Pakistan cricket team and its administration.

In an interview with a local media channel, Basit Ali expressed his frustration with the Men in Green following a string of defeats against co-hosts USA and Rohit Sharma-led India.

“In Pakistan, it is a crime to speak the truth. Ziyadti karte hai ye log (They are highly unfair). I selected the likes of Shaheen, Shadab, and Babar during the U19 days. Look how they have been treated and what has happened to the Pakistan team,” Basit said.

The former cricketer did not hesitate to accuse the current selection committee of favoritism, specifically referring to Babar Azam, the national team captain.

“He [Babar Azam] has been consistently selecting players who are close to him, and that has ruined Pakistan’s chances,” he said.

Ali also touched on the controversial administrative decisions that he believes have demoralized the team, particularly Shaheen Afridi’s appointment and subsequent removal as captain just before the T20 World Cup 2024.

“They broke the tempo, and now we are not on the same page. First, they should be removed, and then new faces should be included in the team,” he concluded.

Former pacer Shoaib Akhtar also expressed disappointment after Pakistan’s narrow defeat to India as he criticized Babar Azam’s team’s performance and intent, asserting that the game was within their grasp if only the players had “applied their brains.”

“Very disappointing. It was a run-a-ball chance for Pakistan. Earlier, India’s middle order messed it up. They were 80-odd in 11 overs and could have achieved around 160 but couldn’t. But for Pakistan, it was a close chance. Rizwan could have scored another 20 runs and won the game for the team. Sadly, we didn’t apply our brains,” Akhtar said.

He further lamented the Pakistani side’s lack of strategic execution. “A lot of things are questionable, their intent, the application… it’s really sad for the team. Pakistan should have won this game. They were pretty much in the game, requiring 46 runs in 47 balls when Fakhar was there. We had 7 wickets in hand but we couldn’t do it. I’m speechless and hurt, that’s about it,” he said.