CHENNAI: Pakistan captain Babar Azam rued his team’s failure to put pressure on Afghanistan with spin in Monday’s eight-wicket loss at the World Cup.
Pakistani spinners took no wickets in Chennai as their combined 21 overs conceded 6.23 runs an over. Afghanistan chased down the target of 283 with eight wickets to spare.
Spinners have taken only one wicket for Pakistan in their last three matches, all of which the 1992 champions lost as they fell to fifth place.
“In the middle overs, the spinners didn’t bowl as they should have. They didn’t put pressure on (the opponents),” a dejected Babar told reporters.
“When we came here, I saw that the margin of error is very low for bowlers. If you bowl a little bit away from the wicket, you will get hit on that ball. So, we are lacking there a little bit.”
In contrast, Afghan spinners bowled a combined 38 overs and picked up four crucial wickets at an economy rate of 4.63; one of the highest uses of spin by any team in World Cup history.
Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott said the pitch conditions favored spinners.
“I think when you’ve got the options like we do it’s foolish not to use them, certainly when looking at that pitch today,” he said.
Trott particularly praised 18-year-old Noor Ahmad who took three major wickets in his World Cup debut, giving away just 49 runs in his 10 overs.
“As soon as he got that length right, he spins the ball so much,” the coach said. “When he’s practicing, you hear that ball fizzing.”
Afghan spinners also played a key role in their shock 69-run win over defending champions England earlier in the tournament, taking eight wickets with Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan claiming three each.
The two wins helped propel the Afghans from bottom of the table to sixth place.
A turnaround was still possible for Pakistan, Babar said.
“You never know. It’s cricket. Anything can happen. We will try to play our best cricket till the end,” he added. “We will try to overcome our mistakes.”
Pakistan will stay in Chennai to face South Africa on Friday, while Afghanistan play Sri Lanka in Pune on Sunday.
Babar Azam has no positive spin on Pakistan loss to Afghans
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Babar Azam has no positive spin on Pakistan loss to Afghans
- The Pakistani skipper says the margin of error is very low for bowlers at the ICC World Cup 2023
- Azam vows to play ‘our best cricket till the end’ ahead of crucial match with South Africa on Friday
Pakistan receives $1.2 billion from IMF under EFF, RSF loan programs— central bank
- IMF Executive Board approved Pakistan’s second review under EFF, first review under RSF loan programs this week
- Disbursements from IMF have been crucial for cash-strapped Pakistan as it tries to recover from economic crisis
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s central bank announced on Thursday that it has received $1.2 billion under the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) External Fund Facility and Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) loan programs.
The IMF approved a $7 billion bailout package for Pakistan under its EFF program in September 2024 while in May 2025, it approved a separate $1.4 billion loan to Pakistan under its climate resilience fund. The RSF will support Pakistan’s efforts in building economic resilience to climate vulnerabilities and natural disasters.
The global lender approved Pakistan’s second review under its $7 billion EFF program and first review under the RSF loan on Tuesday. As per the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the central bank received a combined sum of $1.2 billion under the EFF and RSF on Dec. 10.
“The amount would be reflected in SBP’s foreign exchange reserves for the week ending on Dec. 12, 2025,” the SBP said in a statement.
IMF bailouts have been crucial for cash-strapped Pakistan, which has been struggling with a prolonged economic crisis that has exhausted its financial reserves and weakened its currency. Pakistan came to the brink of a sovereign default in 2023 before a last-gasp IMF bailout package helped it avert the crisis.
Pakistan has had to take tough decisions to comply with the IMF’s loan requirements, which include scrapping subsidies from food and fuel items to trigger inflation. Since then, Pakistan has attempted to regain stability by sharply reducing inflation and recording a current account surplus.
The disbursement, however, comes at an important time for the South Asian country as it mitigates losses from a deadly monsoon season that killed over 1,000 people since late June and caused at least $2.9 billion in damages to agriculture and infrastructure.
