 | « Back to article | Print this article |
Following Pakistan's disappointing group-stage exit at the T20 World Cup, captain Babar Azam and five other players will prolong their stay in the United States, according to Geo News.
Azam, along with Imad Wasim, Haris Rauf, Shadab Khan, and Azam Khan, will depart for Pakistan on June 22nd. Mohammad Amir will also remain temporarily but will head to England within a couple of days to join Derbyshire for the County Championship.
Meanwhile, Pakistan's white-ball head coach, Gary Kirsten, will reportedly return home after the team's failure to qualify for the Super 8 stage. The remaining players will board flights from Miami on Monday night for their return to Pakistan.
Pakistan's campaign ended on a winning note with a three-wicket victory over Ireland on Sunday, although the match held no bearing on their qualification after India and USA (from Group A) had already secured their spots in the Super 8.
Earlier in the group stage, Pakistan suffered consecutive losses against co-hosts USA and arch-rivals India. They managed to bounce back with two wins in a row, but it wasn't enough to salvage their campaign and reach the Super 8.
In the post-match presentation, Babar Azam acknowledged the team's shortcomings despite having talented players.
"We have a good bunch of players," he said. "We need to go back, discuss areas for improvement, and come back stronger. We couldn't finish close games, and as a team, we weren't good enough."