KOLKATA: After Pakistan's defeat to England in their final league game of the ICC World Cup 2023, team director Mickey Arthur addressed the media in a press conference and covered various aspects, from the team's performance and areas of improvement to individual player support.
Expressing disappointment in the team's overall performance in the World Cup, Arthur acknowledged that they didn't play the best cricket but remained optimistic about the learning opportunities, especially for captain Babar Azam.
"We should give Babar Azam opportunities; he will learn from his mistakes," Arthur stressed. "Making mistakes is not a crime; everyone does it."
Arthur emphasised the need for improvement in the team's standard of play, particularly in batting. "In batting, we need to consistently score three hundred and fifty runs," he stated, underlining the importance of a more robust batting strategy.
Highlighting the impact of player availability on the team's performance, Arthur lamented the absence of Naseem Shah and suggested that the bowling would have been better with him in the lineup.
"If Naseem Shah was available, our bowling would have been better."
Looking ahead, Arthur outlined the team's focus on planning for the upcoming Test series in Australia. He stressed the significance of consistency for overall team improvement and insisted on a consistent approach to team selection.
Meanwhile, he highlighted the versatility of bowler Haris Rauf, who bagged the record for conceding the most runs (533) in a single World Cup edition.
“Haris Rauf is not just a new-ball bowler; he bowls better than the old ball.”
Regarding the team environment, Arthur acknowledged external pressures but emphasised the importance of maintaining the right atmosphere within the squad. "There is always noise outside; we need to maintain the right team environment," he said.
Arthur underlined the necessity of consistency for success, noting, "Consistency is necessary for success; success doesn't come from inconsistency," stated Arthur. "The failure of the spin attack is disappointing; spinners play a crucial role in our brand of cricket," he concludes.
Arthur concluded by revealing that the coaches had instructed players to score more than three hundred runs in every match.
The members of Pakistan's World Cup 2023 squad will now come back home in two groups, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed on November 11.
The first batch of 11 members of the team will depart from Kolkata at 8:55 am tomorrow, November 12, via Emirates flight EK571. The remaining members will fly from Kolkata at 08:20 pm tomorrow, November 12, via Emirates flight EK573.
Players from Sialkot will be landing in their respective city from Emirates flight EK618 on November 13.
Players and members from team management from KPK, Islamabad, and Rawalpindi will be landing in Islamabad via EK612 on November 13.
Players from Lahore and team management will be landing from two different flights, EK622 and EK624 on November 13.
Hasan Ali will stay back in India. He will return to Pakistan on November 22.
Team director Mickey Arthur will stay in Dubai from November 13 to 16 before departing for Lahore on November 16.
Faizan Lakhani Faizan Lakhani is Deputy Editor (Sports) at Geo News.- Babar Azam