Pakistan’s ICC Champions Trophy campaign ended disappointingly as they finished last in Group A after their final match was canceled due to rain. Captain Mohammad Rizwan cited injuries to key players Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub as disruptions to the team’s performance. Moving forward, he expressed a need for improvements in professionalism and readiness as they prepare for an upcoming series against New Zealand.
Pakistan’s title defense in the ICC Champions Trophy concluded unfavorably, as their final group match was abandoned due to persistent rain, resulting in the team finishing at the bottom of Group A. With only one point achieved after defeats against New Zealand and India, the performance of the team was disappointing, according to skipper Mohammad Rizwan.
Rizwan highlighted that the absence of key players Saim Ayub and Fakhar Zaman due to injuries disrupted the team’s balance. He stated, “We wanted to do well and perform well in front of our nation. The expectations are very high. We didn’t perform well and it is disappointing for us.”
In further remarks, Rizwan acknowledged the impact of Ayub’s ankle injury, which occurred during a Test series in South Africa, and Zaman’s oblique strain sustained in the opener against New Zealand. Despite the setbacks, he insisted that the team should learn from the experience rather than dwell solely on these challenges.
Discussing future improvements, Rizwan underscored the need for enhanced standards in professionalism and awareness within the domestic circuit to better prepare the team. “We want improvements in different things. If we want to improve, and for Pakistan to have a high standard, we need awareness, professionalism.”
Looking ahead, the team will tour New Zealand for a series of five T20 matches and three ODI fixtures commencing on March 16. Rizwan expressed the team’s intent to rectify past mistakes in order to achieve improved performance in the upcoming matches. He articulated hope for a better showing against New Zealand, stating, “Hopefully, we can perform there and the mistakes that we did against New Zealand here in Pakistan, we can learn from that.”
The Pakistan cricket team experienced a disappointing end to their ICC Champions Trophy campaign, marred by injuries to key players and a lack of overall performance. Captain Mohammad Rizwan emphasized the need for improvement in team dynamics and readiness ahead of their upcoming tour to New Zealand, aiming for a strong comeback to rectify previous mistakes.
Original Source: www.icc-cricket.com
