Pakistan cricket team’s captain Babar Azam was seen angrily stopping wicketkeeper Muhammad Rizwan from celebrating wicket during PAK vs ENG Cricket World Cup clash at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday.
The incident happened in the 41st over of England’s innings. Shaheen Shah Afridi dismissed all-rounder Ben Stokes on 84. While Babar gave the young pacer a pat on the back, he prevented Rizwan from giving Afridi a high-five.
Watch the video here:
Babar’s actions could likely be from the fact that Pakistan got eliminated from World Cup semi-finals contention. Notably, the Men in Green needed to bat first to have a chance to surpass New Zealand’s net run-rate. However, England’s decision to bat first ended Pakistan’s hopes.
The team faced a 93-run defeat in their final league game. Chasing a mammoth 338, Pakistan were bowled out for 244 in 43.3 overs. Agha Salman was the top scorer with 51.
This is third consecutive time that the Pakistan team have failed to qualify for the semi-finals. The team saw a similar fate in 2015 and 2019 World Cup campaigns.
I will help them: Babar Azam
Meanwhile, Babar Azam gave a hint on his captaincy future after the loss against England. In the post-match presentation, Babar was asked if he would like to lead the team in re-building phase post the World Cup failure.
The Pakistan skipper didn’t say yes and instead replied, “I will help them with my experience”
It is reported that Babar is likely to take a call on his captaincy after returning back to Pakistan.