Pakistan captain Babar Azam opened up on his future as the leader after the Men in Green failed to reach in Super 8 of the T20 World Cup 2024.
Pakistan managed a three-wicket win against Ireland in their last group game at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium in Lauderhill, Florida.
After the match, Babar talked to the reporters and shed light on the ongoing debate about whether he should stay captain or not.
"When I left captaincy (previously), I felt that I shouldn't be captain any more 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 added.
Meanwhile, he accepted Pakistan didn't play well as a team and didn't blame a single player for the loss.
"We lost as a team and didn't play as a team. We didn't lose due to any one person. Like you're pointing out that it's because of the captain, I can't go and play for everyone. There are 11 players in the team, and every player has a role, which is why they are here for the World Cup. I accept that we didn't play well as a team," he added.
Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir returned back from international retirement for the World Cup. Babar hailed their contributions.
"Their (Imad and Amir's) contributions were quite good. In spin bowling especially, Imad Wasim contributed very well. Amir has bowled well with the new ball and old ball. They are experienced and know how to bowl.
"They assess conditions and execute their plans accordingly. I think in this tournament, our bowling has done very well and dominated. Yes we lost one match but otherwise we restricted teams under 130. The bowlers have bowled really well," he added.
Imad, during a press conference on Saturday, had said Pakistan need to change mindset in batting, however, Babar didn't agree since the conditions were difficult for every batter.
"Regarding mindset, you can have a certain mindset about how you want to play. But you can't go out there and hit every ball for six or take a wicket every ball. You have to assess the conditions. Tell me - how many matches have happened here (in the T20 World Cup) with outstanding batting? Batters have struggled.
"Yes, we need to think out of the box - every player, not just one player because cricket is moving very fast so you have to move with modern cricket. You also need game awareness and common sense. Here, you can see you have to take the game a little deep and build an innings. You can't score at 150 SR here no matter how hard you try. When you don't have wickets in hand, you come under pressure."
It must be noted Pakistan finished third in Group A with four points from a possible eight as they lost to the United States (USA) and India in their first two matches.
- Babar Azam
