Despite a strong start to their Asia Cup 2023 campaign, Pakistan failed to qualify for the continental tournament’s final.

In the group stage, the Men in Green registered a crushing 238-run victory over Nepal while their marquee encounter against India was abandoned due to rain.

Pakistan started the Super 4 round with a comprehensive seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh but the 228-run thrashing at the hands of arch-rivals India dented their confidence.

The heartbreaking two-wicket defeat against Sri Lanka on Thursday (September 14) eventually knocked them out of the competition. The Babar Azam-led side finished the Super 4 table at the bottom following India’s loss to Bangladesh.

After the game against Sri Lanka, skipper Babar lost his cool in the dressing room, as reported by several Pakistan media outlets.

Apparently, Babar called out players for their poor display, which star pacer Shah Afridi didn’t like. The left-arm quick asked Babar to appreciate players who did well but the captain didn’t react in a positive way. Later, Mohammad Rizwan intervened to stop the argument.

Here’s the detail shared by Dawn News:

Pakistan will now return to action in the 2023 ODI World Cup, where they will begin their campaign against Netherlands on October 6.