WATCH: Babar Azam and co. receives good reception on their return to Pakistan

The Pakistan cricket team failed to qualify for the semi-finals of the ODI World Cup 2023 tournament. This capped off yet another disappointing tournament for the Pakistani team and its fans. Babar Azam and his side were received warmly once they were back home in Pakistan late on Sunday night.

The Pakistani team lost its last game of the ODI World Cup 2023 to England by 93 runs in Kolkata on Saturday. There were massive expectations from Pakistan as they came into the tournament owing to their bowling attack.

After winning their first two games, Pakistan were on top of the points table. A run of four consecutive losses followed this left the Pakistanis with their back against the wall. New Zealand’s win over Sri Lanka inside the 25^th over more or less sealed the fate for Babar Azam’s side.

Warm reception for Babar Azam and his side 

The Pakistani team was given a rousing reception when they landed in Hyderabad ahead of the ODI World Cup 2023. Nearly a month and a half later, Pakistan was back home but this time the welcome wasn’t as rousing and it wasn't as bad as it was feared. 

The whole team touched down late on Sunday night and there were a few fans who were waiting for the men in green. Many people had expected a negative reaction but it was quite the contrary. Lots of fans were seen waiting for Babar Azam in particular as they clicked Selfie with the 29-year-old.

Warm welcome for the King Babar Azam at Airport ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Z2Ea1HLJKj

— SAAD 🇵🇰 (@SaadIrfan258) November 12, 2023

The Pakistani media had drawn the daggers at Babar Azam and aimed his captaincy. Former pacer Mohammed Amir in particular wasn’t a fan of Babar Azam’s captaincy. The 31-year-old said “Captaincy does matter. What is the system? It is not a wall. Five and six people have been given the responsibility to run Pakistan cricket. The captain is one of them”

Mohammed Amir also praised former Indian skipper MS Dhoni. During a show, Amir said “We say Dhoni changed India’s cricket, but he never changed the system. People kept asking how long he would keep giving Jadeja and Ashwin chances. And now we say Jadeja is the World’s best all-rounder. MS Dhoni has given them the team,”

Babar Azam was in full praise for the Indian crowd which turned up in huge numbers to support Pakistan. The 29-year-old before the England game said “To be honest - first I got a lot of love from India, a lot of support. Not only me but the entire team. Of course, I was not able to get a good finish"