Pakistan’s early exit from the recently concluded T20 World Cup in the United States and the West Indies has sparked widespread disappointment. The one-time champions were eliminated at the group stage, with their performance falling short of expectations.
In their opening match, Pakistan lost to the USA in a tense Super Over. This defeat was followed by a narrow loss to India, where they failed to chase a modest target of 120, falling short by six runs. These early setbacks put immense pressure on Babar Azam’s team.
Following the team’s early exit, former Pakistan players and fans voiced their frustration. Keeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan acknowledged the criticism, stating, “The criticism the team is facing is justified and we deserve this since we didn’t perform in accordance with expectations. Players who can’t face criticism won’t be able to succeed,” he told the media.
After losing the first two games, Pakistan needed to win their remaining matches against Canada and Ireland, while also hoping for favorable results in other group matches to qualify for the Super 8. Although Pakistan managed to win both of their remaining games, it wasn’t enough. The USA and India progressed from the group, leaving Pakistan behind.
Reflecting on the team’s performance, Rizwan expressed disappointment: “We are disappointed with our performance in the T20 World Cup. There are multiple reasons behind our losses. When a team loses, one can’t say that bowling and batting is doing well. Operations are a normal thing. When a person is ill, an operation is necessary. PCB Chairman is a hard-working person. The decision about who will remain in the team and who will not is the chairman’s right.”
All-rounder Imad Wasim also spoke candidly about the team’s shortcomings: “The problem is our team is so good, our players are so good, that we are good enough to play any kind of cricket. We haven’t tried that but the thing is you have to try that, you have to get rid of the fear of failure. In everything – batting, bowling, fielding, you have to get rid of fear of failure.”
Stay tuned for further updates on the team’s progress and efforts to bounce back from this disappointing performance.
Nisham Ismail 
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