In the early hours of Tuesday, Pakistan captain Babar Azam landed at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport, returning from a holiday in the United States. Azam had stayed back in the US to relax following the Pakistan team’s disappointing performance in the 2024 T20 World Cup. He arrived on a flight from New York with a brief stopover in Dubai.
Sources reveal that Babar Azam is set to meet with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi in the coming days. This meeting will focus on a thorough discussion regarding Pakistan’s underwhelming performance in the recent T20 World Cup.
Under Babar’s captaincy, Pakistan exited the tournament prematurely, crashing out during the group stage. The team suffered consecutive defeats against the USA and arch-rivals India, managing only narrow victories against Canada and Ireland.
The early exit has raised eyebrows and sparked numerous questions about the future direction of Pakistan cricket. In the aftermath of the disappointing campaign, several key players, including Azam Khan, Haris Rauf, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, and Imad Wasim, opted to take a break from the sport to recharge and regroup.
Adding to the current lull, Pakistan’s international cricket calendar shows no upcoming matches. Consequently, this provides the team and its management some much-needed breathing space to reflect and strategize. Indeed, this period of introspection will be crucial as the PCB and the players tackle the stormy seas of public scrutiny and plan their next steps to revive the team’s fortunes.
