Monitoring Desk
BENGALURU: Pakistan cricket team captain Babar Azam on Friday assured the fans that the team would try to do its best to sneak into semis.
“We will try to focus on the net run rate,” said Azam who addressed a press conference a day before Pakistan’s last match of the world cup against England.
“We have net run rate on our minds and we will try to achieve the target. We can do it if Fakhar plays 20 to 30 overs,” he said.
He said the team failed to perform well and one could not pin blame on any single department. “Everything is possible in cricket and we will try to end the tournament on a positive note,” said the skipper.
He said Pakistan should have won the matches against Afghanistan and South Africa.
Also Read: Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi stripped of top spots in ODI rankings
He told reporters that he was still optimistic. “We will try to learn from mistakes. There is little margin of error at this level,” he said.
Azam also spoke about his performance and said he had been captaining the team for the last three years and was in no pressure.
Signs of frustration
The national team captain also expressed his annoyance over the criticism he and his team have faced amid the world cup debacle, saying: “If someone wants to give any suggestion, he should contact me. It is easy to speak on TV channels. I have no pressure.”
“The coaches and the captain are responsible for the team selection and we fielded the best possible combinations,” he said.
Right now, he said, he was focused on the next match and would think about captaincy after the tournament.
He said the current team had played cricket for the first time in India and it had no idea of conditions. He admitted that the team failed to come up to public expectations.
India’s hospitality
Babar Azam was all praise for hospitality the team received in India. He said the Pakistan team got a lot of love and respect.
