Babar Azam and five other players have decided to spend their holidays in London.© AFP

Former champions Pakistan restored a semblance of pride with a toiling three-wicket win over Ireland in their inconsequential final game of the T20 World Cup on Sunday. The 2009 champions, who were eliminated following their loss to India and the USA in the earlier group matches, restricted Ireland to 106 for 9 after opting to bowl with Shaheen Shah Afridi (3/22) leading the show. Despite chasing a not-so-daunting target, Pakistan’s fragile batting was once again exposed as they slumped to 62 for six in 11 overs, raising the vision of another collapse. But skipper Babar Azam (32 not out) and Abbas Afridi (17) shared a 33-run stand to take them home at 111 for 7 in 18.5 overs.

Shaheen Afridi hit the winning runs with two mighty sixes in his 5-ball 13 not out.

Pacers Barry McCarthy (3/15), Curtis Campher (2/24) and Mark Adair (1/24) bowled their hearts out but Pakistan stood tall in the end as Ireland ended their campaign winless.

While chasing, Pakistan opener Saim Ayub looked in good nick as he slammed a six and two fours before top-edging Adair to keeper Lorcan Tucker. Mohammad Rizwan hit three fours but was sent back by McCarthy when Pakistan were 39 for 2.

In the next three overs, Pakistan lost four quick wickets — Fakhar Zaman (5), Usman Khan (2), Shadab Khan (0) and Imad Wasim (4) — to find themselves in deep trouble.

Babar held on at the other end while Abbas made a 21-ball 17 and then Shaheen blasted two big blows to end the proceedings.

Earlier, Ireland had a nightmarish start as Afridi and Amir left them tottering at 4 for three in the second over.

The left-arm pacer Afridi struck twice in three balls, removing Andrew Balbirnie (0) and Tucker (2) in the opening over. Amir then had Ireland skipper Paul Stirling (1) caught behind to leave the top order in disarray.

Harry Tector survived a caught-behind appeal but was trapped by Afridi in the next ball with a fuller delivery that hit his back leg to reduce Ireland to 15 for 4 in three overs.

George Dockrell blasted two fours to ease the pressure a bit but he fell to a caught and bowled by Amir, who deceived him with a slower ball, as half of the Irish side returned to the hut within powerplay.

Rauf then joined the party, getting rid of Campher who went for a pull only to see the top-edge landing in the safe hands of Ayub.

Delany clobbered the first six of Ireland innings off Rauf in the 9th over, before hammering spinner Shadab Khan for a six over long-on to bring up the team fifty. Delany ended the over with a four after Rauf missed an overhead catch at the boundary.

Abbas was next in line for Delany as he smoked a pitched up delivery from the pacer over deep square leg for another maximum.

Imad was then introduced into the attack and he dismissed the dangerous-looking Delany with a ball that bounced and spun as the 44-run stand was broken reducing Ireland to 76 for 7.

The number 10 Joshua Little (22 not out) then threw his bat to take Ireland past the 100-run mark. But it was too late too little.

Pakistan cricket is at its lowest point and needs to make radical changes, all-rounder Imad Wasim said after the team failed to get out of the group stage of the T20 World Cup. The 2009 champions, beaten finalists two years ago, lost to the USA and India with their sole victory coming against Canada. Pakistan’s final game is on Sunday against Ireland, which is now a dead rubber with both teams already eliminated. Asked about the exit, with the USA beating Pakistan to Super Eight qualification, along with India, Wasim said there was no doubt about the level of disappointment.

“This is the lowest point. You can’t go any lower than this. That’s the fact,” he told a press conference.

Asked whether there now needed to be major changes, the 35-year-old left-arm spinner, said it was clear that radical changes were needed.

“It’s not my domain but I think there should be changes and there should be a drastic change so we can move forward,” he said.

Wasim, who came out of a brief retirement for this tournament, said that the change needed to be far-reaching.

“In everything and every aspect. How to take the game on? How to play the game? This is what I believed in and this is why I came back and tried to do things but it didn’t happen,” he added.

After the shock loss to the USA, Pakistan put up a close fight in defeat against India in New York and Wasim said that the context needed to be understood.

“You can also say the wickets are a bit tougher than what you think and any team can beat anyone. You can see Nepal was almost through. So, things can happen but I think the approach, how we play the game, I think we will change that and all of the boys are eager to do that because this defeat hurt us really badly,” he said.

‘Mindset’

The key change that is needed is in the mental side of the game, added Wasim.

“I’m giving my personal opinion. Don’t make these headlines — it’s all your mindset. What mindset do you want to play the game with? You either play fire with fire, or you play your way. 

“So, I personally believe that you should play fire with fire. And even if you lose, you can sit down and say to yourself that on that day we were not good enough,” he said.

“The problem is our team is so good, our players are so good that we are good enough to play any kind of cricket. So you have to get rid of fear of failure mindset. 

“In everything — batting, bowling, fielding, you have to get rid of fear of failure mindset. As I said earlier, personnel change doesn’t change anything, just changing the mindset can change a lot of things,” he added.

“We compete with the world’s best teams. Their mindset has changed over time. We used to rule in T20 cricket. I think we have moved back a little now. If you change the mind of the player, you can achieve things beyond your limits. I always believe in this.”

Wasim said he would not make any decision on his future until after Sunday’s game.

“As far as retirement is concerned, there’s a match tomorrow. We’ll play a match and obviously, after that, we’ll think about it and sort out whatever we need to. Because to be honest, a lot of things are going to be sorted out in the Pakistan team. The chairman and the board will sort it out. 

“We have given away two games by ourselves. Losing to USA, well, losing is a part of the game, but we shouldn’t have lost to USA. Even against India — we had that game in our hands and we shouldn’t have lost. So, there is no excuse for anything. We are losing matches collectively,” he said.

“After the match against Ireland — we will sit down and talk and then decide. I don’t do anything secretly. I told everyone when I retired last time. If something happens, I will come and tell everyone.”

Pakistan all-rounder Imad Wasim expressed his disappointment after the team’s shocking exit from the T20 World Cup in the group stage. However, Imad suggested that the team’s disappointing show could be a blessing in disguise as it will give the players a chance to do some soul searching and figure out what needs to be done to avoid this capitulation in the future. Imad, alongside veteran pacer Mohammad Amir, was recalled to the side for the tournament on the back of their performances in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

“A bad thing has happened, but who knows it might be a blessing in disguise. It (the T20 World Cup flop) should be revisited…(we need to) play white-ball the way it should be played,” Imad said in a post-match press conference.

Sharing his views on the harsh criticism of wicketkeeper-batter Azam Khan‘s fitness, Imad said he has neither body-shamed anyone or targetted an individual.

“As far as you said about me being an analyst as well, I have always talked only about cricket. “I haven’t talked about individuals, neither have I bodyshamed anyone nor talked personally about that person. A cricketer’s job is to analyse cricket and to tell you whatever is going wrong and whatever is going right,” he added.

Imad insisted that the group stage exit was a tough pill to swallow for the players in the dressing room, adding that they are more gutted than the fans.

“It happens during group stages, there are other teams who have been eliminated…There is a lot of disappointment. We are disappointed more than you guys because this is our profession…It’s all about how you get up and approach the world after falling, how do you react,” he further explained.

He signed off by urging the fans not to forget the human element while doing a post-mortem of the team’s performance.

“We want to tell the Pakistan public that we couldn’t perform and we are the ones to be blamed. Ek baat ye bhi kehna chahunga. Hum bhi insaan hain, humse bhi galti ho sakti hai aur dukh humein bhi hota hai is cheez ka (I want to say one thing. We are also humans, we have made a mistake and we are also sad about it),” he concluded.

The Pakistan Cricket Board on Friday announced their unveiled 15-member squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, which will kick-start from June 1 in the USA and Caribbean. The side will be led by Babar Azam. Of the 15 players, Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Saim Ayub and Usman Khan have been picked for their maiden T20 World Cup, while Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim last appeared in the 2016 and 2021 tournaments, respectively. The other eight players participated in the 2022 event in Australia.

“This is an extremely talented and balanced side that has a mixture of youth and experience. These players have been playing together for some time and look well prepared and settled for next month’s event.

“Haris Rauf is fully fit and bowling well in the nets. It would have been nice if he had gotten an outing at Headingley, but we remain confident that he will continue to maintain an upward trajectory in the upcoming matches, as he will have an important role to play along with other strike bowlers in the T20 World Cup.”

Pakistan has one of the most impressive records in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup since its inception in 2007 in South Africa. It won the 2009 event under Younis Khan and twice reached the finals under Shoaib Malik (2007) and Babar Azam (2022). In 2010, 2012, and 2021, it reached the last-four stage.

Squad: Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan, Azam Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abbas Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed