After suffering a shocking defeat to Afghanistan, Pakistan's World Cup dreams are hanging by a thread. Captain Babar Azam expressed his disappointment with his team's lackluster attitude on the field and stressed the need for extra effort in the fielding department.
This devastating eight-wicket loss marked Pakistan's third consecutive defeat following two initial victories in the tournament, leaving them teetering on the edge of elimination. To secure a spot in the semifinals, they must now win all their remaining four matches.
Babar Azam didn't mince his words when addressing his team's fielding woes, particularly their sloppiness at the boundary and a couple of costly overthrows. He squarely attributed these issues to his players' lack of attitude, emphasizing that fielding is all about attitude. He urged his team to put in extra effort and maintain their fitness, emphasizing the importance of focusing solely on the ball, being proactive, and operating as a cohesive fielding unit.
"Whenever you do fielding, it is only with attitude. And I don't see any attitude from the team. You need to put in extra effort and be fit," Babar said at the post-match press conference.
"You should focus on the ball, not on other thoughts, and when the ball comes, as a fielder, you have to be proactive. So, I think we are lagging a little bit as a fielding unit," he added.
With a pivotal clash against South Africa on the horizon, Babar Azam acknowledged that his team needs a fresh approach in their upcoming matches. He emphasized the necessity of adopting a different plan and mindset to infuse a positive atmosphere within the team. Despite the painful loss to Afghanistan, Babar Azam is determined to extract valuable lessons from it and foster a forward-looking approach.
"We will have to go with a different plan, a different mindset, we will try to bring a positive vibe in the team," said the Pakistan captain.
"I hope we learn from this loss (against Afghanistan). It will hurt us a lot. We will try to talk about positive things," he added.
In acknowledging his team's inconsistencies, Babar Azam pointed out that sometimes they excel in bowling while struggling with their batting, and vice versa. He noted that Pakistan's pace bowling attack, often lauded as one of the world's best, has failed to meet expectations in this tournament, leading to an unwelcome trend of conceding runs too easily. Babar Azam also lamented the absence of pacer Naseem Shah, who has been sorely missed in the bowling lineup.
"We are missing Naseem a lot. But apart from that, our bowling lineup is one of the best. But, I think we are not able to click," Babar said.
While facing the grim possibility of elimination, Babar Azam maintained a resilient spirit, asserting that his team has nothing to lose and will give their all in the remaining matches. He dispelled the notion of a dip in confidence after their loss to arch-rivals India, pointing to their impressive performance against Australia where they nearly reached the 300-run mark. Babar Azam affirmed his team's commitment to approaching each match with fresh determination and striving for their best performance against every opponent.
