This Pakistani bowler is having heated discussions

Pakistan’s ICC T20 World Cup 2024 campaign in the US and West Indies ended not only in disappointment on the field but also in an ugly incident off it. In a viral video, fast bowler Haris Rauf was seen in a heated argument with a fan, during which he had to be physically restrained by his wife and a few other staff.

The explosive confrontation emerged out of the frustration and sadness of the Pakistani players after a dismal performance at the global tournament. The Babar Azam-led side failed to qualify for the Super Eights and crashed out in the group stage.

Pakistan had entered the competition hoping to claim their second T20 world title, having won the 2009 edition. However, their campaign never really got going after they faced anger from the US and arch-rival India. Although they managed to bounce back with wins over Canada and Ireland, Pakistan’s chances were all but canceled out by a devastating loss in the final win against arch-rivals India. When the US-Ireland match was eventually postponed, it confirmed Pakistan’s premature elimination.

Babar Azam, who was reinstated as Men in Green white-ball captain especially for this event after stepping down following last year’s ODI World Cup failure. But even Azam’s leadership could not prevent the fallout from the T20.

Recently, there have also been speculations about head coach Gary Kirsten’s confrontation over the team’s environment and unity among the players. Kristen didn’t mince words when analyzing the team’s shortcomings after being disqualified from the big event. His comments pointed out that the Pakistani team needs to address the issues in the future. “There is no unity in the Pakistan team. They call it a team, but it is not a team. They do not support each other; everyone is separated, left and right. I have worked with many teams, but I have never seen anything like this seen a situation,” TOI quoted Kirsten.