Pakistan skipper Babar Azam answered the question on whether he will continue as the captain of the team after their early exit from the T20 World Cup 2024.
Babar was reinstated as the captain of the national team ahead of the World Cup, but he has been criticised following their dismal performance in the ongoing tournament, co-hosted in the United States and the Caribbean.
The Pakistan team started their campaign with back-to-back defeats against co-hosts USA and arch-rivals India. Despite winning their next two matches, they were unable to qualify for the Super 8.
BET NOW: Exclusive sign-up offers and bonuses when you bet on T20 World Cup action
What did Babar Azam say about his future as Pakistan captain?
The current captain of the Pakistan team, Babar Azam, was speaking at a press conference following their 3-wicket victory over Ireland in their final game of the T20 World Cup 2024.
That is when he was asked questions regarding his future as the skipper of the Pakistan white-ball team, when he said:
"When I left captaincy (previously), I felt that I shouldn't be captain anymore and announced it myself. When PCB gave it back, that was their decision. Now we'll go back and have a discussion about what all has happened here. If I leave captaincy again then I will inform everyone. For now, I haven't thought about it and the decision is up to PCB."
He went on to add that the poor performance of the team could not be blamed on a single individual but that they lost as a collective unit.
"We lost not because of one person, but as a team. here are 11 players, and everyone has a role in the team. We did not lose because of a single player. As a captain, I can't play in place of every player," he said.
What did Babar Azam say about the pitches in T20 World Cup 2024?
There was one question in particular which Babar Azam was delighted to answer and it was related to the state of pitches and conditions at the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024.
The reporter asked the Pakistan captain on why batsmen were not able to dominate on wickets that were used in the current tournaments.
"Thank God you asked this question; I was expecting someone to ask this question too. Regarding pitches, in New York it was very dependent on the toss. I think the timing for these games was too early because every team won the toss and opted to bowl as there was help for the bowlers in the morning", Babar said.
The drop-in pitch at Nassau County Stadium, New York had come under criticism due to the low scoring matches on the wicket, which also saw uneven bounce and damp outfields, at the start of the tournament.
"The bounce is very inconsistent, sometimes it goes really high and sometimes very low. As a batsman, you have to take time and build innings. People were expecting 170-180 but the maximum has mostly been around 140 or less. I think the pitches should have been better."
Pakistan played two of their four World Cup games at the newly constructed stadium in New York, including the big one against arch-rivals, India. Despite restricting the opposition to 119, their suffered a batting collapse in the second innings as they fell short by 6 runs in the end.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Sporting News has editorial oversight for this content. Learn more >