Following Pakistan’s elimination from the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024, the team’s captain Babar Azam, along with five other players, have chosen to prolong their stay in the United States while the remaining squad members prepare to return home.
Babar Azam stays in US after T20 squad leaves
In addition to the captain, the players who will not be leaving for Pakistan on June 22 are Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Haris Rauf, Shadab Khan, and Azam Khan.
Amir is scheduled to depart for England in a few days, where he will be joining the Derbyshire county cricket side. Coach Gary Kirsten will be returning home as the squad did not succeed in qualifying for the Super 8 round of the event.
The remaining members of the team will leave Miami tonight and go to their individual destinations on separate planes via Dubai. They will arrive in Pakistan on the morning of June 19th.
Prior to this, Babar expressed his willingness to resign as the captain of Pakistan’s white-ball team following their poor performance in the major tournament. The team only managed to secure victories against Canada and Ireland, while experiencing consecutive defeats against the World Cup newcomers, the US, and their arch-rivals, India.
During a post-match news conference in Florida following the Ireland match, the team captain expressed that the team’s performance was subpar. The captain emphasised that the loss was not down to the actions of a single individual, but rather the team’s inability to work together effectively.
“Currently, I have not made a decision regarding the captaincy.” Nevertheless, if the board desires, I am willing to resign […] “If the PCB chairman deems surgery necessary, we will discuss it,” stated the prominent batsman.
Last week, sources informed Geo News that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had chosen to reassess the players’ central contracts due to the team’s substandard performance.
According to the reports, players who have performed poorly are likely to be downgraded in terms of their central contracts. This decision was made after senior board officials and PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi discussed the situation.
