Babar Azam, Pakistan's star batter, opened up about his team's historic loss to Afghanistan during a crucial ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 match held at Chennai's Chepauk Stadium.

In an interview, Azam expressed the deep disappointment he felt as both a player and captain following the defeat. "It was a painful loss for me and our team," he shared. "Our performance fell short, and credit to Afghanistan for playing excellent cricket."

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Despite the loss, Azam tell the need to move forward, stating, "Every day isn't perfect, and setbacks are part of the game."

This defeat marked Pakistan's first loss to Afghanistan in the 50-over format, with Afghanistan securing victory by eight wickets. Azam's team had posted a respectable total of 282-7, with contributions from himself (74) and opener Abdullah Shafique (52). However, Afghanistan's batsmen, including Ibrahim Zadran (87), Rahmat Shah (77), and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (65), chased down the target in 49 overs.

During the post-match presentation, Azam attributed the loss to Pakistan's bowling and fielding shortcomings. He stressed the importance of a balanced performance across all departments, lamenting the team's inability to apply pressure on the opposition's batsmen due to inconsistent bowling lines and lengths.

In hindsight, Azam acknowledged the overall disappointment of his team's performance and highlighted the areas that needed improvement moving forward.