Pakistan Team return home, led by Captain Babar Azam, returned to Lahore via a private flight from Dubai after a challenging run in the round-robin stage of the ICC Men’s World Cup 2023.
Accompanying the captain were other staff members, including the team’s manager from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
As Babar touched down in Lahore, a crowd at the airport echoed chants of “Pakistan Zindabad.”
Interestingly, the team’s return wasn’t a unified one. Another group, featuring players like Agha Salman, Imam-ul-Haq, and Shaheen Shah Afridi, had already arrived in Lahore from Kolkata via Dubai. Simultaneously, some players opted to head straight to their hometowns.
Following a notably unsatisfactory performance in the ongoing mega event in India, the Pakistan squad bid farewell to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup after a defeat by England in their last group match at Kolkata’s Edens Gardens, where they were outplayed by an impressive 93-run margin.
The team’s departure from India was organized in two groups, symbolizing the end of the Green Shirts’ World Cup journey.
The first group of 11 members left Kolkata at 8:55 am on Sunday via Emirates flight EK571. Later in the day, the remaining members departed at 8:20 pm via Emirates flight EK573. Upon arrival in Dubai, the players and staff were set to disperse to their respective cities.
The journey home marks the conclusion of the Pakistan Team’s endeavors in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, sparking contemplation on the way forward for the team.