The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 is underway with many matches already being played between different contenders participating in the tournament. One such team, Pakistan almost seems to have ruled out the game after they registered a heavy loss against arch-rivals Afghanistan. Babar Azam and Co. took on the Afghans on October 23 at Chepauk and faced an 8-wicket defeat by Afghanistan. It certainly came as an upset for the Men in Green after they registered three consecutive defeats in the tournament. Several former Pakistani cricketers and fans have expressed their disappointment with the team’s approach ahead of the loss. Though, skipper Babar Azam himself has reckoned on the team’s poor display of performance admitting that they didn’t play well against their contenders.Â
Sole responsibility should not be taken by Babar
After three consecutive losses, former Pakistani cricketer Mohammad Yousuf acclaimed that the entire team has an equal share of responsibility for the loss and not just the captain. “I heard Babar cried after the defeat against Afghanistan last night. It’s not only Babar’s fault, the entire team and the management is involved. We are with Babar in this tough time and the entire nation is with him.”
Babar’s say on the loss
While heaping praise on Afghanistan’s unconditional efforts, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam admitted that the team has not shown up to the mark and that all the players have committed some mistakes. He went on to add further “This hurts us. We had a good total. In bowling, we aren’t up to the mark because we are not taking wickets in the middle overs. In the World Cup, if you are not good in even one department, then you’ll lose the match. In the field, we didn’t stop boundaries and gave away runs that cost us. Bowling- we started well in the middle overs, we needed wickets but we couldn’t take any wickets.”
Pakistan will face South Africa, the highest scorers in the ongoing tournament, in it’s next on October 27 that can essentially prove as a game-changer for Babar’s men.Â
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