What caused Pakistan's unceremonious exit from the T20 World Cup

Pakistan’s surprise defeat against co-hosts the USA set the tone for Babar Azam & Co.’s disastrous T20 World Cup campaign. The Super Over loss not only upset them psychologically, but hurt their chances of qualifying for the next stage. With backs against the wall, they were beaten by six-runs by arch-rivals India to further diminish their hopes of making the Super Eights. A 7-wicket win against Canada salvaged some pride but fate was not in their hands anymore. As debutants USA punched above their weight, even a rain-induced draw was enough to steer them forward while Pakistan were eliminated - their earliest exit from the T20 extravaganza.

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For the second straight ICC World Cup, Pakistan had been eliminated in the group stage. At the ODI World Cup last year, Pakistan finished fifth to not qualify for the semi-finals. Then, there were disappointing defeats to Afghanistan , South Africa and England.

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This time around, though, with little room for mistake, just ask New Zealand, 2009 champions’ task had become mighty tougher when they lost to the USA.

In the aftermath of the exit, former cricketers and media blamed team discord and biased selection for the humiliating first-round exit.

“Pakistani players think that if they don’t perform well, the coaches will be sacked, and nothing will happen to them,” former captain Wasim Akram said during a broadcast after the loss to India. “It is time to keep the coaches and change the entire team.”

In the lead up to the tournament and through it, the team has been dogged by allegations of internal discord. Form wasn’t on Pakistan’s side either. They lost to Ireland, lost 2-0 to England and drew 2-2 against a depleted New Zealand.

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According to Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) sources, the biggest challenge before Azam, re-appointed as the captain before the T20 world Cup, was to unite the team. Shaheen Shah Afridi was reportedly upset at losing the captaincy after just one series and Muhammad Rizwan was unhappy at not being considered for the captaincy completely.

“There are three groups in the team, one led by Babar Azam, the second one by Shaheen Shaheen Afridi and the third one by Muhammad Rizwan. Add to this mix the return of seniors like Muhammad Aamir and Imad Wasim and the recipe was ready for a World Cup disaster,” a source close to the team told news agency PTI.

“The return of Imad and Amir added to the confusion as it was difficult for Babar to get any worthwhile performances from both of them as they had not played top level domestic or international cricket for a long while now except in franchise based leagues.

“There were even instances where some players were not talking to each other and a few of them even tried to appease all the group leaders in the team,” added the source.

A senior PCB official said that chairman Mohsin Naqvi was aware of the problems in the team and had been briefed by national selector Wahab Riaz.

“Naqvi held two meetings with all the players in private and gave them pep talks asking them to put their issues aside and focus on winning the World Cup and he would remove all misgivings in the team later on but apparently things didn’t work out.

“I am not defending Babar but what is a captain supposed to do when your premier bowler can’t even defend 15 in the final over against a weak USA side and concedes a boundary and six on full tosses.

“Or when an all-rounder brought out of retirement to help win the World Cup sits out with fitness issues.”

Not the right players

Fans and analysts criticised the team’s management for not picking the right players.

Former player Kamran Akmal said Shadab Khan was chosen to play because he is close to captain Babar Azam, and that meant leaving out leg-spinner Usama Mir, the top wicket-taker in this year’s Pakistan Super League.

“When you select players based on friendship, you’ll get these results,” Akmal told AFP. “Mir should have been in the squad… That was a big injustice.”

“Some poor administrative and selection decisions in the run-up to World Cup resulted in the team’s inability to progress,” said the English-language newspaper The News.

The 2024 edition marked a dramatic fall for Pakistan from the last T20 World Cup, when they reached the final.

“I am disgusted and will not watch the World Cup any more,” said Mohammad Asim, a Pakistani fan.

“The team selection was biased and based on friendship,” said the 19-year-old university student.

And Salim, a taxi driver, said the team was “finished” after losing to a new side like the USA.

What next for Pakistan cricket?

Pakistan are due to host next year’s Champions Trophy, and there are calls for a major shake-up within the team and at the boardroom level as well.

“The Chairman obviously is going to clean up things in the team but already he has started a process of performance related appraisals of senior and mid level employees in the board,” a source claimed to PTI.

“You will see major changes in the team and at management level in the board now,” he said.

“Naqvi is himself facing problems as he is not the ruling government’s choice to head the board. He is also now facing criticism for the WC debacle and there are calls for his head as well,” said another PCB source.

Former captain Rashid Latif said the board is part of the problem.

“Before we shift the blame to the players, first the PCB and its governing body needs to be sacked,” Rashid Latif wrote on the social media platform X.

“These are the people responsible for selecting the players. Heads must roll, but would they?”

Some within the PCB circle believe Naqvi will not be making an immediate call on Azam’s captaincy since Pakistan now plays their next white ball series in November.

“The one good thing for Naqvi is that Pakistan now has two test series lined up at home against Bangladesh and England and with Shan Masood already the test captain and a new head coach in Jason Gillispie and he doesn’t have to worry about immediate changes,” said a source to PTI.