Pakistan captain Babar Azam was slammed by the Pakistani media following the team's embarrassing five-wicket defeat to Ireland in the first T20I in Dublin on Friday evening.
Pakistan, led by Babar, are currently in the United Kingdom to play a total of seven T20Is against Ireland first, and then England, in order to better prepare themselves for the upcoming T20 World Cup in June.
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However, Pakistan's standards dropped to a new low on Friday as they suffered defeat on the penultimate ball of the final over to the Irishmen.
It follows a series of disappointing results for the Men in Green in the shortest format this year, after they lost 4-1 to New Zealand in January and drew 2-2 with the same team that missed regulars last month. It was their seventh loss in T20Is in 11 games this year.
Batting first, Pakistan posted 182 runs on the board. Skipper Babar notched a fifty, but was perhaps guilty of not striking at a higher rate. He consumed 43 balls for scoring 57 runs at a strike rate just above 132. Had it not been for the late cameos from Iftikhar Ahmed (37* in 15) and Shaheen Afridi (14* in 8), Pakistan would have fallen short by at least 10-15 runs.
The loss, of course, was unforeseen and triggered a wave of criticism from the media and trolling from the fans. Pakistan have been going through somewhat of a tumultuous transition period, and the loss to Ireland will only exacerbate the situation – both internally and externally.
MORE: Who will be Pakistan's opening batsmen at the T20I World Cup 2024?
Babar Azam gives his verdict on why Ireland beat them
Following the loss, Babar shed light on the loss against Ireland at the post-match presentation ceremony, citing the 'bowling and fielding', as well as failure to 'execute their plans' as reasons behind the loss.
Here's what Babar said:
We didn't start well in the first 6 overs; the pitch was a bit two-paced and had some bounce. We recovered well after that and got 182 but I think 190 was a par score. But I think we lost due to the bowling and fielding. We didn't execute our plans and had some sloppy lapses in the field which cost us.
Those words were not received well by the Pakistani media, as well as fans, who blasted Babar for emphasizing on "par scores".
Saj Sadiq, who has featured on platforms such as Sky Sports, Wisden, and BBC, lambasted Babar on X (formerly Twitter).
I keep hearing the Pakistan skipper referring to aiming for a par score. The best teams don't give a damn about the par score, they look to dominate with the bat from the first ball to the last. This defensive approach has ruined the Pakistan T20I team #Cricket #IREvPAK
I keep hearing the Pakistan skipper referring to aiming for a par score. The best teams don't give a damn about the par score, they look to dominate with the bat from the first ball to the last. This defensive approach has ruined the Pakistan T20I team #Cricket #IREvPAK
— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) May 10, 2024
Another fan said:
Teams like this is where you come out of your comfort zone and try to do extra but we are ok with scoring 170 180 that too if someone plays exceptionally. We are so settled for mediocrity and it doesn't bother us anymore.
Teams like this is where you come out of your comfort zone and try to do extra but we are ok with scoring 170 180 that too if someone plays exceptionally. We are so settled for mediocrity and it doesn't bother us anymore.
— Abdullah (@michaelscottfc) May 10, 2024
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