Babar Azam extends stay in US after Pakistan's early exit from T20 World Cup

After Pakistan's early exit from the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024, team captain Babar Azam, along with five other players, has decided to extend their stay in the United States. The remaining squad members are preparing to return home.

Besides Babar, who will head back to Pakistan on June 22, the players staying behind include Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Haris Rauf, Shadab Khan, and Azam Khan. Mohammad Amir will depart for England shortly to join the Derbyshire county cricket club. Meanwhile, coach Gary Kirsten will also be heading home following the team's failure to qualify for the Super 8 stage of the tournament.

The rest of the squad will depart from Miami tonight and will fly to their respective cities via Dubai, reaching Pakistan on the morning of June 19.

In a recent statement, Babar Azam expressed his readiness to step down as Pakistan's white-ball captain following the team's disappointing performance in the tournament. The Green Shirts only managed to secure wins against Canada and Ireland while suffering consecutive losses to World Cup debutants the US and rivals India.

Reflecting on the team's performance during a post-match press conference in Florida after the match against Ireland, Babar stated, "We did not perform well as a team; it isn't because of one person that we lost. We could not click as a team."

"For now, I haven't decided on [stepping down from captaincy] yet. However, if the board wants, I can step down. If the PCB chairman thinks there's a need for change, we'll discuss it," Babar added.

His remarks came after sources told Geo News that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to review the players' central contracts due to the team's subpar performance. The sources indicated that players with poor performances might face demotion in their central contracts, following consultations between senior board officials and PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi.