They bounced back with two straight wins but it wasn’t enough to turn around a dismal campaign and secure a Super Eight spot.
 "T20 World Cup 2024: Pakistan captain Babar reveals future course of action")
Ani cricket
Pakistan captain Babar Azam has made clear his future course of action following his team’s shock early exit from the ongoing T20 World Cup.
Pakistan, placed in Group A, suffered consecutive losses to co-hosts the United States and then rivals India.
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They bounced back with two straight wins, but it wasn’t enough to turn around a dismal season and secure a place in the Super Eight.
Babar, who ended his season with a win over Ireland on Sunday, acknowledged that Pakistan have some talented players but have not delivered as a team.
“We have good players. We need to go home, discuss, identify our weaknesses and then come back. We were not good as a team as we could not close out close games,” Babar said at the post-match presentation.
After restricting Ireland to 106 for 9, Pakistan’s middle-order batting fell apart to the Irish fast bowlers and the chase was all but thwarted.
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Babar stood at one end and played the role of anchor while wickets kept falling at the other end. Shaheen Afridi, who starred with the ball, came on at the end and scored two maximum runs to seal a three-wicket win for his team.
Babar assessed the Pakistan team’s and his own performance in all aspects of the game and felt they lacked strength in the batting department.
“We finished the game well. Our bowling took some wickets early. Our batting was not good but we batted well at the end and won the game. Our bowling was good and conditions were good for the fast bowlers. We made some mistakes in batting but we had a chance to beat USA and India. If the team wants me to open then I will, if they want me to bat at No. 3 then I will. If the team situation suits me then I will,” he concluded.
Shaheen Afridi was adjudged man of the match for his sensational delivery, as the 24-year-old took three wickets in his four overs and gave up 22 runs at an economy of just 5.50.
His exploits in the powerplay shook Ireland and laid the foundations for Pakistan’s low-scoring chase.
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“The wicket was in favour of the new ball. We tried to bat early, targeting our favoured areas. Our plan worked. My idea was to bowl with more force and we were targeting our favoured areas. We did not play the good cricket that the country requires,” he said at the post-match presentation.
Shaheen came on in the closing stages of the match with Pakistan’s chances of victory looking bleak and smashed the ball powerfully twice into the stands to save Pakistan from further humiliation.
“There are some areas that we need to improve on urgently. The Champions Trophy is coming up. We have to improve and grow as a team. The crowd always comes to support us. Thank you all for your support. These are tough times but you always come to support us. That’s what we need as a team. That’s my job. I will come out (to bat) at the end of the innings. I just have to bat. That’s what the team needed. I am always trying to hit sixes,” he concluded.
