"Can't blame the Pakistan players" - Rashid Latif defends Babar Azam's team despite poor outings in T20 World Cup 2024
Updated - 16 Jun 2024, 12:26 PM
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Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif expressed disappointment over the Babar Azam-led team's group-stage exit from the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024. Rashid Latif also stated that these pitches are unsuitable for the prestigious tournament and added that can't blame the Pakistan players for the early exit.
The Babar Azam-led team was eliminated from the ongoing World Cup after the match between the United States of America and Ireland was washed out. The Men in Green failed to finish in the top two of the Group A table. India and the United States of America advanced to the Super 8 stages of the tournament.
The Pakistan batters have come under severe criticism following their poor performances against the USA and India in the T20 World Cup. The Pakistan team failed to defend a below-par total of 159 against the USA. Babar Azam's team fell short by six runs in their chase of 120 against archrivals India in New York.
Can't Blame The Pakistan Players For Everything - Rashid Latif
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Rashid Latif defended Pakistan players amidst criticism, pointing out that even top batsmen like Virat Kohli are struggling due to challenging pitch conditions. Latif said that blaming Pakistan players entirely is unfair given the unfavorable conditions in matches against the USA and India.
"You can't blame the Pakistan players for everything. They fought well but their efforts were neutered by the pitch conditions. They should have won both the US and India games but the conditions were beyond their control. It can happen, runs have been difficult to come. See, even a batsman like Virat Kohli is not getting runs," Rashid told Cricbuzz.
Virat Kohli was promoted as opener in the ICC tournament. However, the right-handed batter managed to score just five runs across India's first three Group A matches. Team India's fourth game against Canada was washed out without a ball bowled. The Rohit Sharma-led team advanced to the Super Eights stage.
No Team Has Scored A Half Century Against Afghanistan - Rashid Latif
Rashid Latif noted that half-centuries have been rare in the tournament. The 58-year-old stated that the conditions are not ideal for the competition and added that half-centuries often lead to victories.
"Individual half-centuries are not many. No team has scored a half-century against teams like Afghanistan. If a batsman scores a half century the team ends up winning more often than not. Rishabh Pant made 42 and India beat Pakistan. The conditions are not ideal for the World Cup," Latif added.
Pakistan has one match to go in the T20 World Cup 2024 against Ireland in Florida. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is expected to conduct a thorough review of their disappointing performance in the tournament. According to The News, selection decisions leading up to the World Cup have hindered the team's progress.
Following Babar Azam's reappointment as white-ball captain earlier this year, Pakistan lost to Ireland, suffered a 2-0 defeat against England, and managed a 2-2 draw against a weakened New Zealand team.
